Gone Girl: A Novel

Gillian Flynn

Jun 2012 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “mercilessly entertaining” (Vanity Fair) instant classic “about the nature of identity and the terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most intimate relationships” (Lev Grossman, Time “One of the Best Books of the Decade”)—now featuring never-before-published deleted scenes

ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME, ONE OF CNN'S MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE, AND ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Janet Maslin, The New York Times, People, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, Slate, Kansas City Star, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor

New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

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? 

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: San Francisco Chronicle, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Chicago Tribune, HuffPost, Newsday

Ratings and reviews

This novel is about the life of a husband and wife, Nick and Amy Dunne and what happens when wife goes missing and people suspect Nick had something to do with it. It's told from Nick's point of view during the search and entries from Amy's diary and is split into 3 parts. I'd say my favorite part was the second where Flynn's story got to its most interesting and funnily enjoyable. What makes me give this 4 stars would have to be the ending which will give different impressions for each reader.

Honestly, if I'd gotten it from the library I would've quit reading it that's how hard it was for me to get into this book. However, I had already spent the money to buy it so I forced myself to keep reading it. The first half was so hard to get into, the second half though - totally saved the book for me. Glad I finished it, I hear there's a movie in the works. Will be interesting to see this book played out on the big screen.

I couldn't put this book down. I loved it all the way until the end. I can't remember the last time the ending of a book made me as angry as the ending did. UGH...anyone who's read it knows what I mean. I hated Nick just accepts his fate and his ending and gets stuck. He wasn't the greatest husband but he didn't deserve his ending. But it still is an enjoying read and a novel that pulls you in.

About the author

Gillian Flynn is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Gone Girl, for which she wrote the Golden Globe–nominated screenplay; the New York Times bestsellers Dark Places and Sharp Objects; and a novella, The Grownup. A former critic for Entertainment Weekly, she lives in Chicago with her husband and children.