Page 41 - Digital Cornice Grade 9

BOOK REVIEW

Gone girl

By: Jemimah George

Title: Gone girl
Author: Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl is a novel written by New York Times best-selling author Gillian Flynn. She mostly writes
mystery and thriller novels. ‘dark places’, ‘sharp objects, and ‘The grownup’ are some of her popular
novels.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part introduces us to the main characters, Nick and Amy
Dunne, and their life in New York City. Later we can find that their marriage is not as ‘magical’ as it
sounds and has a lot of hidden secrets. After losing his job as a journalist, Nick and his wife relocate
from New York City to his hometown in North Carthage where he opens a bar with his sister, Margo.
During this period, Nick and Amy's relationship is worsening. On their fifth anniversary, Nick returns

home from work to find Amy missing. Their living room is a mess and an act of struggle can clearly
be seen. Like any husband would do, Nick calls the police and they start their investigation
immediately.
The second part is more about the investigation and the media's role in the case. Since Amy was quite
popular, the case spreads quickly. Because of Nick's calmness and lack of emotion, the media is quick
to accuse him of Amy’s disappearance. While the police are still investigating and finding clues, Nick
has his own different side of the story. He believes that Amy is still alive and is secretly working with
his sister and lawyer to prove it. Will people believe him? Is he really responsible for his wife's
disappearance?
There are various themes in Gone girl, but the main themes are dark secrets of marriage, misogyny,
relationship, trust, control, and manipulation. One of my favorite characters from this book is Margot
(Nick's sister). She is brave, and a genial character. Nick and Margot have a healthy relationship and
we can see her supporting her brother throughout the book.

This novel is written from the first perspective, alternating between the two characters in every
chapter. Many tiny details have been included which makes the book more intriguing. The book is
filled with major plot twists, having suspense at the end of every chapter.
I personally found this book really interesting. This was the kind of book you’d read once and
constantly think about for a long time. Since the narratives of the two characters are from different
time periods, the reader also must compare one version of the story to another version of the story.
While reading it was difficult to identify who really is the main ‘protagonist’ and the ‘antagonist’.
Although the novel is written in a simple and understandable way it deals with a lot of sensitive topics
including violence, abuse, and self-harm so I would recommend this to more mature readers and
young adults.
“It’s a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of
personality traits selected from an endless Automat of characters.” -Amy