Helpful Score: 9
First of all, the characters in "Gone Girl" are not supposed to be likable, but they are supposed to be believable. The brilliance of this novel is that the author, through realistic details and use of human nature, makes the sheer audacity of the plot somehow convincing.
AVOID SPOILERS AT ALL COSTS. The novel is plotted in three parts and every one takes a twist that stunned me. In fact, reading it, I was a little disappointed about a third of the way through the book, nearing the end of the first section, thinking it had become a little predictable...until I realized that the author had skillfully made me THINK I had guessed what was happening, all the while with a deft hand building to something completely different. I disagree that the conclusion was flat. The end (which is NOT happy but is satisfying in tying the plot into a final knot) is stunning, unlike anything any other murder mystery could pull off. This is one of the most unique novels I've read in years, especially when compared to its genre, which tends to be more "entertaining" page-turners than "literary" tomes. (For all its literary-caliber brilliance, this is an entertaining novel.)
After reading "Gone Girl," I read every other novel by Gillian Flynn. This is her best. ("Dark Places" is decent; I didn't like the pitch-black plot/characters of "Sharp Objects" at all. It would likely please fans of the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series.) Flynn's novels do tend to portray a fairly dark world, blending "victims" and "bad guys" and set in desolate (often economically depressed) Midwestern towns. Since I hail from the very area she writes about, I must admit that for the most part, her descriptions are honest and insightful (if shaded a little dark).
AVOID SPOILERS AT ALL COSTS. The novel is plotted in three parts and every one takes a twist that stunned me. In fact, reading it, I was a little disappointed about a third of the way through the book, nearing the end of the first section, thinking it had become a little predictable...until I realized that the author had skillfully made me THINK I had guessed what was happening, all the while with a deft hand building to something completely different. I disagree that the conclusion was flat. The end (which is NOT happy but is satisfying in tying the plot into a final knot) is stunning, unlike anything any other murder mystery could pull off. This is one of the most unique novels I've read in years, especially when compared to its genre, which tends to be more "entertaining" page-turners than "literary" tomes. (For all its literary-caliber brilliance, this is an entertaining novel.)
After reading "Gone Girl," I read every other novel by Gillian Flynn. This is her best. ("Dark Places" is decent; I didn't like the pitch-black plot/characters of "Sharp Objects" at all. It would likely please fans of the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series.) Flynn's novels do tend to portray a fairly dark world, blending "victims" and "bad guys" and set in desolate (often economically depressed) Midwestern towns. Since I hail from the very area she writes about, I must admit that for the most part, her descriptions are honest and insightful (if shaded a little dark).
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