Krysten’s Review

During part one of this book, I was so certain that Nick was an awful human being with no redeeming qualities. I hated him. And yet, you know there must be more than meets the eye. The husband killed the wonderful, innocent wife? Cliche and overdone. So you have to know there’s something else going on.

Even so, I hated Nick. And indisputably, he is extremely flawed, but it isn’t until part two that you begin to see why. The more I read of this book, the more conflicted I became. It was unsettling to go from feeling so sorry for one character (especially if you’ve gone through a similar marriage situation, if not quite as dramatic) and hating the other to wondering if you should hate the first and feel sorry for the other. If Nick is flawed, that makes Amy so far passed merely flawed that I can’t even think of a word for her. (Nick’s description seems appropriate, if not eloquent: “psycho b*tch.”)

The one thing that bothered me was how easy it was for Amy to change her plan and be able to fill in all the blanks, anticipate all the skeptical questions, answer them logically, and then get away with everything! It was somewhat unbelievable that the police (save Boney), the public, everyone swallowed her story so easily. But I could deal with that, because I knew that she’d get what she deserved, eventually. That’s what happens to bad people, right? And Nick had already gone through so much that I knew he’d catch a break. But she never got caught, and he never caught a break. Though in some perverse way, I guess the both got what they wanted. Now they are both so royally screwed up, maybe they deserve each other—and maybe therein lies the ultimate irony.

Overall, I liked Gone Girl:, was a suspenseful, fascinating, well-written book. The characters were conflicting—both likable and disturbing at times—and the ending left me feeling unsettled (and, OK, a little angry) but that’s when you know the author did a good job.