Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

First Sentence:  When I think of my wife, I always think of her head.

   
It is the fifth wedding anniversary of Nick and Amy Dunne.  When Nick goes down to breakfast, he finds Amy is missing and the back door open.  Did she run away?  Was she taken?  Or did Nick actually murder her? 

   
I generally make a great effort to write an objective review.  In this case, that wasn't possible.  For me, two things are required to like a book; at least one character for whom I can feel affinity, and knowing that justice is done in the end.  This book had neither. It is not an auspicious beginning when one dislikes the opening sentence, has an immediate and intense dislike of the protagonist, followed shortly by an equal dislike for the victim.  

   
The only redeeming quality to this book is that the disappearance was well done, and that the twin sister, Go, was interesting.  Other than that, this is an unpleasant story, about unpleasant people, doing unpleasant things to one another.   

   
As to the plot; about half-way through, the ending seemed predictable.   Hoping my suspicions were wrong, I admit going to the end.  Unfortunately, I was not wrong.  The ending was not only predictable, but illogical.  If this book is supposed to be a look into the minds of men and women, they are people one never wants to meet, let alone know.

   
“Gone Girl” is a book that never should have come in the first place.  Many people loved this book.  I was definitely not one of them.  In fact, for  me, Dorothy Parker said it best, “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” Had I not downloaded the e-book, it would have been a literal wall-banger.

GONE GIRL (Susp - Nick Dunne – MO - Contemp) – NR/DNF

Flynn, Gillian – 3rd book

Crown, July 2012