Gone Girl is a brilliant, irresistible exploration of a fatally flawed relationship. The spoiled but practically perfect Amy is the namesake of a celebrated book series that her parents started writing when she was just six years old. Haunted by the title character who seems to be her parents' perfected version of herself, Amy constantly struggles to feel comfortable in her own skin. Nick, an unbearably attractive (no really, he hates the fact that he's so attractive--wears fake glasses to make up for the fact that his face is so pretty until he realizes how prickish that is.) midwesterner who grew up on the Mississippi, impersonating Huck Fin for spending money as a kid, meets Amy at a party, and the two seem destined for each other. They find that they are happier and better together than they've ever been. The gorgeous couple is a picture of domestic happiness until they both lose their jobs in the recession, and move to Missouri to care for Nick's ailing mother. While there were cracks in their relationship before the move, the upheaval creates more even more strain, and they are in a dangerous place in their marriage when, out of the blue, Amy goes missing. The narrative is split between Nick on the day of Amy's disappearance and Amy's diary entries starting when the two meet.
I'd heard a lot about this book before I read it, bad and good, and I went in with a healthy amount of skepticism, but I found it completely engaging, fascinating, and terrifying. It's rare that a thriller will actually teach you something about the human condition, but I think this one does in a way that made me incredibly uncomfortable. But as our dear friend Stephen King says, "art should make you uncomfortable," and I think Gillian Flynn knows exactly what he meant. Highly recommended.
