Gone Girl

A forum I used to visit regularly saw the word “spoiler” misspelled (I seriously just had to Google how to spell 'misspelled'), to the extent that now, whenever I see the word “spoiler” written down, I still read “spolier” in my head. So, it goes without saying, this blog will be rife with “Spolier Wanrings”. Read about books you've not read at your peril.


I started Gone Girl as, working in the bookshop, I feel I need to read the bestsellers more than I actually do. My passion for collecting pre-war crime fiction has seen my money spent in a different area for the past few years. Bestsellers tend to be read after I've bought them my Mum for birthdays/Christmas, and a few years later, she gives me a Tesco carrier bag full of books to read. This is one of those occasions.

As I near the end of Gone Girl (on page 398 now), I find myself powering on through. I need to finish this book. It's not that I'm desperate to find out how it finishes (although I am), I'm just desperate to rid myself of such a mass of psychotic unlikeable characters and desperate to find if they get their comeuppance. Obviously I have the view that it would be very brave of Gillian Flynn to let the bad get away with murder, as it were, and the “good” (although it has to be said there isn't that much good in this book – maybe Nick's sister, Go) suffer because of it, to leave so many things open ended, because life is just shit sometimes and fiction should represent that. But then, the very core of my being wants justice to prevail, because life is just shit sometimes and fiction should be an escape, where the good live happily ever after, and the bad pay for their sins.


To clarify, I don't dislike Nick because he cheated on his wife, I dislike him because he is a shitty egotistical dick who hates women. I don't dislike Amy because she's framing her husband for murder, I dislike her because she's a true blue psychopath who has wreaked havoc by playing God with anybody she feels wronged her throughout her life. Having had a run in with somebody with psychopathic tendencies, this cuts a little close to home, the manipulation, the playing innocent people to get “revenge” on somebody you feel wronged you... And knowing it is one of the hardest things to fight because it's so hazy. Your word against theirs. GRAH. <and relax>


But it's a great book – easy reading (aside from the bubbling vitriolic hatred in the pit of my stomach), and let's face it, anything that makes you feel so strongly about the characters, whether negative or positive, has got to be good right? Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got 68 pages to read so I can get on with the rest of my life.