Gone Girl: A Review by Lomaani Ranasinghe

          After not being able to put down Paula Hawkins' The Girl On The Train, I decided it was time to dive deeper into the world of psychological thrillers. My discoveries finally led me to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. The best-selling novel had already been made into a movie and seemed to be all the craze a few years back.

         The book starts on the "day of" and begins to tell the story of Nick Dunne, a frustrated spouse who was slightly tired of a five year marriage with his wife, Amy Elliot. Nick, an aspiring writer who moved from New York back to Missouri to help care for his sick mother, sat in his bar and contemplated what to get his wife for their anniversary. He soon gets a call from a neighbor saying his front door was open. The thriller takes off when Nick comes home to find the living room overturned and Amy nowhere to be found. Amy's disappearance causes a police investigation and the eyes of the public looking to Nick for the blame. The book continues to unwrap Amy's disappearance and reveals what really happened the day she vanished.

Flynn's writing style is unique and leaves you at the edge of your seat, she chooses to include not only Nick's point of view of the investigation but also Amy's perspective on her life and their marriage. I'll admit, there were times where the story droned on, but when it wasn't slow Flynn did a great job of adding twists and turns that enhanced. It's interesting to watch how the story unfolds, and to see how the profoundly complex characters justify their actions.

Reading Gone Girl is a journey, by the time you reach the ending you wonder how you got there. It is, however, most definitely a journey worth taking.