“Gone Girl,” by Gillian Flynn is the gripping novel that has enticed book aficionados and non-readers alike to read its pages from cover-to-cover, for some in a matter of days. After being published in 2012, it quickly climbed its way to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. The popularity of the book has led to the production and release of a major film, bringing in more than $360 million at the worldwide box office. While many read the book at the time of its release, “Gone Girl” has gained a new following since the success of the film last year and become a pop culture fad. But does the novel really live up to all the hype? Ashley Roling, a sophomore majoring in Nursing, read the book for the first time recently and shared her thoughts on the best-selling thriller.
“I liked it because it was very suspenseful but told in a journal format,” Roling said. “It was told from two different perspectives so it was very suspenseful and quick to read.”
The book tells the story of husband and wife Nick and Amy Dunne. At first they appear to be the perfect couple, but then Amy mysterious goes missing at the time of their fifth wedding anniversary. Nick suddenly becomes the prime suspect for the crime. As the plot unfolds, we discover that Amy is framing Nick for her own disappearance.
“I already knew the plot because everyone who saw the movie ruined it, but it’s so suspenseful because you’re watching [Nick] get framed for something he didn’t do,” Roling said. “It doesn’t seem like it could ever happen, but that could be the whole conspiracy behind it.”
Just to name a few words, the character of Amy has been described crazy, psychotic and insane. But the picture of the crazed wife begs the question, what happened to make her this way?
“Even though Amy was psychotic, I don’t like Nick’s character either,” Roling said. “I didn’t feel bad for him because he admitted to not investing in this relationship. He puts his needs before hers, and he was selfish and cheating on her.”
After Amy discovers Nick is having an affair, she plots revenge. She takes precision in her planning, and then leaves behind clues to her plot after she is gone.
“She’s very deceiving because she knows how to manipulate the press and her family,” Roling said. “At the end she got everything she wanted, and it showed how she had the upper hand in the relationship. She plotted this for like years. She was dedicated to the cause.”
Roling said she enjoyed the book because of its ability to grab your attention quickly and draw you in to find out what happens.
“It’s really well written, and I kind of want to read it again,” Roling said. “You hear about crime all the time, and she really played on society’s perceptions of murder. It’s a really suspenseful read.”
