Gone Girl is well written, well plotted and just utterly utterly horrible. Up there with Wuthering Heights in the “People I would in no way want involved in my life, ever, thank you very much” stakes.
I was right, Go, and to a lesser extent Boney, turn out to be the only characters that weren't caricatures of awfulness. I suppose such psychotic terrifyingly self absorbed nutjobs must exist in the world somewhere (as I say, I've had run ins with slightly smaller scale ones) but still, it's hard reading. <makes 'bonkers' sign with finger, mouths a “wow”>
Seriously though, it's actually a very good book. It reads as quickly as a Dan Brown thriller whilst being actually well written and not dripping with factual errors and anachronisms. The Independent review calls Gone Girl a “wonderfully crafted and excruciating thriller”, and it's right. I actually ache with the righteous anger I've felt throughout the story. Which is a massive compliment to Gillian Flynn.
About half way through the book, you think you know what's happened. Then two thirds of the way through the book, you think you can guess what's going to happen, and you're still hoping there's some slice of justice due, then come the end, you feel violated and spent.
I'll leave it to Pat from Silver Linings Playbook to sum it up.
Thanks Pat.
I am, however, still looking forward to the David Fincher directed movie version of Gone Girl due out later this year. Fincher is the master of uneasy suspense, and Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are just pretty, annoying and banal enough to carry off Nick and Amy. Neil Patrick Harris fans are probably going to end up pretty pissed though...
No comments:
Post a Comment