Gone Girl is another great poolside fiction read for the summer. The library classified the book as "Mystery" but I would call it more of a psychological thriller. It's not as mysterious as it is disturbing. The book is a portrait of human nature at its worst. Human depravity always makes for a good story and Gone Girl is no exception. It is riveting novel in which readers become onlookers to the disastrous results of marriage gone awry.
The story opens on the day that the protagonist's wife, Amy, goes missing. I sensed that it was not the husband's fault, but as the story progressed I became increasingly unsure. This is the story of two people who had become chronic liars. The book takes the reader through the events surrounding the incident and the days following while also telling the back-story of Nick and Amy's turbulent five-year marriage.
I read this novel primarily for entertainment. It doesn't have a deeply moral or philosophical message, just twists that kept me turning the pages. However, by providing a picture of a dysfunctional marriage, the book becomes a good reminder of what not to do in a relationship. Nick and Amy's relationship did not unravel on the day that she went missing. It started long before that, with little lies and tiny manipulative schemes. These little deceptions turned into larger ones; short silences became long stretches of isolation. As in any relationship, the longer Nick and Amy were married, the more they learned about one another's weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Their cruelty grows out of this knowledge as they begin to target each other's vulnerabilities. It is subtle and first, but the attacks grow deeper and more scarring as time passes.
In conclusion, Gone Girl is definitely an entertaining read because it appeals to that part of the psyche that guiltily derives fascination out of others' misfortune. Therefore, I'm keeping this review short because giving away too much would just take the fun out of reading the book!
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