She's Gone

I'm so excited.

I just can't hide it.  Why?



It's book club day.  I love book club day.  And this month, we read a book that's title inspired the teenybopper in me.  When I found out that we were reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, this song started playing in my head.

Fortunately, the book is a little more deep and intriguing than the song.  I say fortunately, because as hot as those boys may have been, the story they tell in their song would not have kept me reading for the duration of an entire book.

Source: shelf-awareness.com via Teresa on Pinterest

That's the cover, in case you were wondering what to look for at the store or library.

The Basis:  It's Nick and Amy's fifth wedding anniversary.  After Nick leaves for work for the day, he gets a call from his neighbor saying the front door is wide open, and the cat is on the lawn.  Amy's gone.  All of a sudden, Nick finds himself the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance.  Watch through both Nick and Amy's eyes as the story unfolds.

My thoughts:  I have to say, this book was intense!  I think I said the same thing last month, but holy heck... it's just entirely accurate.  Again, this book had a dairy-entry style format, though you are living in Nick's point of view for part of it, you also live through Amy's journal.  The POV changes are well-delineated, and clear.  I really enjoyed Flynn's ability to change her writing style so dramatically in order to match the different characters.  It took me a little while to warm up to this book, but once it got rolling, I really enjoyed it.

Okay, I lied.  I really enjoyed it up until the end.  I felt like the author flipped me off at the end of this book.  I think that for the story she wove, the ending sort-of fit, but not really.  You think that there is character development and growth, and in the end... well, no.  I don't tend to like plot twists that come right before the ending.  They leave me feeling incomplete.  It's entirely a personal preference, and I can understand why the author wrote it this way.

I have to commend this author on her word choice, her character development, her ability to bring her world of small-town Missouri to life.  My favorite part of this book had more to do with the fact that she conveyed a lot of information, and provided relevant details that came back again and again.  It was a well-planned plot.

Buy, Borrow, or skip:  This is a complex novel.  I get the feeling that I probably missed 20% of it in my initial reading, and on this basis alone, I would say buy.  I think this is a book I wouldn't mind reading a 2nd time.

Did you read Gone Girl?  I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, so link up with Alyx, Kaylee, and Kim (it's easy, just click on the button!) so that I can go visit you and read your views.  Or if you have something to say about my review, I welcome your thoughts in the comments!