On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.
My blabberings:
I know, I know, everyone and their aunt's neighbor has already read and reviewed this book. Nonetheless, I wanted to just add my two cents into the mix. I was really hesitant to read this book for one main reason: friends and reviewers repeatedly stated that the main characters are awful people. Once I heard that I was certain I would hate the book. It has rarely occurred where I've read a book with despicable characters and still liked the book. Apparently I have to identify with a character in order to really care about their story...who woulda thunkit? Anyways, I had already decided that I would just let this book be a buzz-generator that I skipped.
However, the Btown Booksters thought differently and it was picked for one of our recent reads. I purchased the novel with trepidation and sat down in my couch nook to read a few pages. I looked up from my book sometime later and realized I was already several chapters in (this is not a rare occurance). I ended up finishing the book in two days. Not, as many others have stated, because it was so compelling that I read through the night, but because I had procrastinated and had exactly that long to finish before our next book club meeting! That being said, it was a really compelling book, it was just as twisty turny as you would want a suspense novel to be.
Now, to get to my point of contention, the characters...were they so loathsome that I couldn't like the story? Not exactly. Was a character or characters absolutely heinous to their very core? Yes. Once I closed the back cover of the book, I looked over at my husband with wide eyes, shuddered, and said, "whoa." A novel that can evince that kind of reaction at its culmination must mean that it's good, right? I don't really know how to answer that question. Yet, I can say that I was surprised that I didn't loathe this book as I did the character(s). Suspense isn't my favorite literary category, but I did enjoy the novel and won't be so quick to pass over a book because I'm certain I won't like the characters.
4/5 stars
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