Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” is one of those books I will not be able to say much about, except that you have to read it. Just do it. It’s phenomenal.
Flynn has crafted a story with so many twists and turns that to talk about the plot at all would be criminal. When I finished, I wanted to talk about it with someone, and in this digital age I can share that exact moment:
@lb_423 YO, you’ve read Gone Girl, right? #holysmokes
— Chris Hannas (@cjhannas) May 3, 2014
Flynn writes the story with two narrators who alternate chapters, a husband who gives his side from the day the book starts and a wife who begins in the past with their first meeting and slowly catches up. I’ve always been drawn to this type of storytelling, with its inherent tension and anticipation of the payoff moment when the two timelines converge. And when they do, #holysmokes.
At its heart, the story is about relationships and the complexity that comes with each person pursuing individual and collective interests.
The wife, Amy, talks about her struggle in living her life with husband Nick, and what we’re all seeking in someone else.
“Because isn’t that the point of every relationship: to be known by someone else, to be understood?” she says. “He gets me. She gets me. Isn’t that the simple magic phrase?”
“So you suffer through the night with the perfect-on-paper man,” she continues. “…And you go home to a cold bed and think, That was fine. And your life is a long line of fine.”
I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m guessing we’ve all been in that relationship at one point or another. The “long line of fine.” It’s the type of situation that makes you wonder if you’re being too picky, if that person should be enough, or whether you’ve realized that fine is not fine.
Later describing her unhappiness, the kind that stems from misaligned priorities, Amy says, “I just wish he thought about me as much as I do him.” We all have different styles and needs, and that’s one of the great challenges of relationships, right? How do you get what you need, while at the same time giving what they need?
Flynn is supremely effective at using specific imagery to pound home certain points. Nick describes himself and the way people perceive him — a key part of the story — by saying, “I have a face you want to punch.” Eight words and you can’t help but to see that face for the rest of the book.
On a related note, it’s kind of funny that in the movie version, which comes out in October, Nick is being played by Ben Affleck. Did they even have to audition anyone else?
In summary, if you haven’t already brought up your Amazon or Barnes and Noble account, or grabbed your keys to head out to the bookstore, I question your priorities in life. Get reading!