Gone Girl written by Gillian Flynn is an interesting thriller based on an unusual theme. The book is based on commitment. Gillian uses marrage as the commitment which forms the backdrop of the story. Told in a span of few months, the story starts on the fifth wedding anniversary of Nick and Amy. The couple has known each other for more than 5 years but they have been married only for 5 years. A perfect marriage for outsiders, all is not well in the paradise.
When Nick reaches his workplace on the fifth anniversary of his wedding, little does he know what is in store for him. He is not a big planner. So he hasn't bought the gifts for his wife. Soon, he realizes his wife is missing. Like all missing women cases, the husband is naturally the suspect. To make matters worse, there are many inconsistencies in Nick's behaviour on that particular day which makes him the suspect for the cops. Is Nick guilty? If he is not what happened to Amy? We find this out as the story progresses.
The book stands out for mainly for the narrative style. The story is told from both Nick's and Amy's perspectives. We get to see the man's side and woman's side in the same story. This is much better than a third party narration or first person narration. Marriage brings two people closer. But does it make sane or insane? In the modern times where the emphasis on self, does living together with another person drives people mad? Is it true that a person is different during courting period - tolerant to mistakes and imperfection - and the chord of restraint is broken a few days after living together. Gillian makes us ask these question while reading the book. Finally, since the story flip flops between Nick's and Amy's perspective, their character and flaws are shown to us in layers.
Take up this book if you are interested in thrillers. You can also read this if you are interested in reading about complex relationships.
Tags: Books,Gillian Flynn,Marriage,Thriller
Loved the book. But wasn't climax a bit unjust?
ReplyDeleteCompared to what was happening in the first part and the second part, the climax was kind of lame. I agree
DeleteThis is one of the highest rated books - Amazon listed it in their top 100 books to read in a lifetime, I would definitely want to read it once. And it is true that people are tolerant of each others mistakes during courtship, but behave differently when the safety net of marriage is on their side.
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
I liked the book because the narrator keeps changing and then later we realize all of them has been lying in one way or another. :)
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