Book Tour & GIVEAWAY: ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn

Crown

Pub. Date:   June 5, 2012

Book received from: Publisher via TLC Book Tours

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This review contains a certain amount of spoilers, so read it with that in mind, please.

When Amy Dunne disappears, everyone is quick to blame Nick, her husband of five years.  When the investigation uncovers a series of lies and dark secrets that the couple was hiding behind the façade of a perfect marriage.  The story is told from Nick’s perspective, alternating with Amy’s diary entries of the past five years.  As truths come into the light, everyone begins to question what was really going on within the marriage- including Nick.  We are drawn into a world of intricately layered deceptions, and by the end people that are still living a lie.

Flynn has delivered a story that keeps the reader unsure of who is really at fault for what, or if there is even a crime committed at all.  There are twists and turns, and it is difficult to really like any of the characters because one does not know who to trust the least.  Many readers will find the plot twists to be exactly the kind of mystery that they have been waiting for.

My main issue with the book is the trivialization of domestic abuse.  With so many cases like Amy’s being at the hand of an abusive partner, it seems a bit irresponsible of the author to insinuate that the media’s role tends to blame the perpetrator too much.  True, there are cases that turn out to be something other than domestic abuse, and someone was wrongly accused.  However, those cases are certainly not in the majority.  Amy’s role in the book is to be a fake victim in nearly every scenario, which only lends credibility to those who wish to victim-blame or call real victims outright liars.  In Gone Girl everyone believes Amy when they should not, just because she is a woman, thus devaluing the credibility of women who are really in a bad situation.  Violence against women is a real issue in our society and should be treated as such.  I understand that Amy is only a character in a book, but it made it really difficult for me to like this story in the end.

Gone Girl sheds light on the dark minds of some people, but is not a reflection of real situations or society as a whole.  There are parts of the story that were a bit slow, but quickly picked up pace by turning the plot in another direction.  Flynn has real talent for making the reader really think about the characters from all angles, and this is one story that brings manipulative personalities to light.

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Crown has generously offered a copy of ‘Gone Girl’ for one lucky reader.  To be entered, simply comment below, with your e-mail address in the comment.  

Must be at least 18-years-old and live in the US/CAN.  I will pick a winner by random July 10, 2012.

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Check out the entire blog tour calendar.

‘Gone Girl’ can be purchased at Amazon.com, as well as your local independent bookseller.

For more about Gillian Flynn, go to her website here.