Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

pp. 417

I finally read the book everyone's been raving about, and I have to say, it lived up to it's hype. Now a major motion picture, the novel tells the story of Nick and Amy Dunne's troubled marriage and Amy's sudden and suspicious disappearance. Did Nick kill his wife? Or is there something even more sinister going on than simple murder?

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn, 345 pages

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn, 345 pages

I thought that this was an excellent work of fiction.  Libby Day lives a stunted life- ever since surviving the night where her mother and sisters were murdered, seemingly by her brother, she has coasted off of the donations of sympathetic well-wishers.  Now that she is an adult and the funds are drying up, Libby finds herself pulled back into the case, which is not as solved as she thought it had been.  I was guessing until the end and thought it was really well-done.  And I think I read it based on someone else's review of it here...

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn- 345 pgs.

Libby Day was the only survivor in the murders of her mother and two older sisters.  Her older brother, Ben, was convicted of the murders and has been in prison for the last 24 years.  Libby is surviving on the dregs of a trust that was started by well-wishers after the murders, when she meets Lyle, a member of "The Kill Club", a group who is convinced Ben is innocent of the murders.  In exchange for a fee, Libby agrees to talk to the major players the day of the murders.  Traveling to Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, Libby is forced to relive that day and entertain the notion that Ben didn't kill his family.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, 419 pages

While not my usual genre, I wanted to read Gone Girl because it is being filmed in the same town where I completed my undergrad (Cape Girardeau, Missouri).  As I still have many friends there keeping me apprised of the filming, I planned to see the movie (and pick out local landmarks) but wanted to know the storyline first.

As most probably know by now, the novel tells the story of the missing wife, Amy Dunne, and her husband, Nick, who is accused of abducting/killing her.  Having seen photos taken by friends following the filming, I expected the turn of events in part twos’ first chapter but not the motives behind them.  Overall, it was a quick paced novel with many unexpected (and convoluted) twists and turns but I disliked the heavily rated “R” language