Gone Girl

At our book club meeting at the end of March, we were debating what book to read for our gathering in April. Thanks to my dear sister-in-law, I happened to have Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn sitting around my house, and pulled it out as a suggestion. After reading some reviews on it and a brief synopsis, we reluctantly agreed to give it a shot.

Why, you ask, do I say that we "reluctantly" agreed to read it? Well, as we were looking up information on the book, the things we were reading made us a little nervous about what we were going to be getting ourselves into. Here is just a sampling of some of the reviews/comments about this book:

"Marriage can be a real killer"
"[Flynn's] work draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction"
"Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn"
"Compulsively readable, creepily unforgettable, this is a must read for any fan of bad girls and good writing"
"An ingenious and viperish thriller"
"Burrowing deep into the murkiest corners of the human psyche, this delectable summer read will give you the creeps and keep you on edge until the last page"
"[Flynn's] most intricately twisted and deliciously sinister story"
"Gone Girl is a dark, satisfying, psychological thriller"

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Lots of references to "dark", "thrilling", "psychological", "creepy"--you can understand why we were a little unsure about picking this for our book club selection. Especially since not all of us were thrilled about the prospect of a book that would keep us up at night. The final verdict, though? We LOVED it. Yes, it's definitely dark, thrilling, psychological, and creepy, but not in a "there's a serial killer lurking outside your window" kind of way. Of course, it might still keep you awake at night, but only because your thoughts will be so consumed by how disturbing and dysfunctional this couple is that you won't be able to sleep. But at least that's not nearly as traumatizing.

I don't really want to say too much else about the book because it would be hard to go into any more detail without giving away some of the twists and surprises. So I'll just end by saying that you should definitely read this book. And be prepared to be blown away.