Today is a strange day for me. I am taking care of my Claire, (3 yr old granddaughter) as her mother has after four and a half months returned to work. I knew this would be hard morning for both of them. Claire is of course much more resilient than an adult, so she got over it relatively quickly. Watching one is so much easier than watching several younguns, except that more could entertain themselves as well as each other. I just don't think I could handle more than one, my poor nerves may be stretched with just the one. But she is being really good and I love being with her!
The book I'm reviewing today literally got on my nerves. What good are ye, nerves?
SYNOPSIS:
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE:
My oldest grandson is 14. He recommended Gone Girl for a great read. However after a couple of chapters, I began to wonder if there had been a miscommunication. Not because the book wasn't interesting, but it was about a married couple who were in the midst of marital strife. Sure enough, he had not read this book. Too late, I was already hooked on the odd story before me. That is how I came to read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
What a quirky story this was. There was definitely a competitive spirit between the husband and the wife and not in a sportsmanship sort of way! When one had been scorned and disrespected it was up to the other to one up their partner. The characters in this book were very well written and very believable although they sometimes sickened me with how perverse they could be. That included secondary characters such as Amy's parents Rand and Marybeth Elliot. The police were portrayed as narrow minded and bungling, although I found Rhonda Boney interesting and redeemable.
The book is written in three parts and told from Nick's point of view in one chapter and Amy's point of view or her Diary's point of view in another. I had one piece of the story figured out, but it took a direction I totally did not expect. I knew that Amy was crazy and manipulative and I knew that Nick was totally battling against her in an attempt to get the upper hand, but aside from being insane, she was absolutely brilliant. I thought her self-brilliance might be what her undoing would be.....
I'm glad I invested the time in Gone Girl. It was the most unique book I think I have ever read. I was tense for Nick throughout and I cheered him on until his capitulation. I was nerved up as Amy pulled one successful moment after another. And I was disappointed with Nick's character in the end. But a successful author makes you feel and I definitely felt a flood of differing emotions throughout this book.
It's a long read at 413 pages, but it was worth it I rated it 4 winks!
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