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Gone Girl  By  cover art

Gone Girl

By: Gillian Flynn
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne
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Editorial review


By Mysia Haight, Audible Editor

PSYCH OUT—THE JAW-DROPPING GENIUS OF GONE GIRL

Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is among the all-time best crafted stories told by unreliable narrators—two of them, the perfect couple—and a gripping thriller filled with jaw-dropping twists. This dark mystery novel also shines a critical light on the media-fueled public rush to judge people suspected of crimes who, regardless of the evidence, simply look guilty—an unsettling trend that has only escalated in the decade since the book’s release. Along with its critique of media exploitation, the novel has been widely embraced—and hotly debated—as a manifesto of modern feminism.

Ten years ago, I was approaching that dreaded life stage—middle age. After years of doing my best to be a good wife, mother, aunt, sister, daughter, and friend; a good worker, mentor, and role model; and a good listener, problem solver, and crisis manager, I was feeling taken for granted and restless. What if I did something unexpected, something out of character—something bad?

Happily, I satisfied my yearnings by becoming immersed in the brilliant mind and devious machinations of Amy Elliott Dunne, the hero (or, depending on your perspective, villain) of Gone Girl. When it was published in 2012, Gillian Flynn’s ingenious novel about a missing wife and the husband increasingly implicated in her ominous disappearance stirred up a lot of buzz. As an avid fan of psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators, and contemporary fiction driven by strong, complicated women, I couldn’t wait to read it. And I was blown away! In spite of her questionable (to put it extremely mildly) actions, I found Amy, an amazing woman who was taken for granted—first by her parents and then by her husband—relatable and, yes, sympathetic. I kept rooting for her to get the life she wanted, even when I was appalled by what she did and who she hurt to make that happen.

Has Gone Girl changed my life? Well, it didn’t motivate me to change for the badder—old good habits die hard. Yet, thanks in part to Amy and other remarkable women characters like her, I’ve gradually become better at speaking up for myself and getting heard.

Years after first reading Gone Girl, I haven't forgotten Amy. I love the way Rosamund Pike brought her to life in the 2014 film adaptation, which I've watched in its entirety three times with three different women—my sister, my niece, and my daughter. So when I discovered that one of my favorite narrators, the remarkable Julia Whelan, voices Amy in the audiobook, I just had to go back and listen. Her performance is brilliant—so believable, it's chilling—and even though I know every twist in her twisted story, Amy continues to amaze me!

Continue reading Mysia's review >

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “mercilessly entertaining” (Vanity Fair) instant classic “about the nature of identity and the terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most intimate relationships” (Lev Grossman, Time)—now featuring never-before-published deleted scenes

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY CNN AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY TIME AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Janet Maslin, The New York TimesPeopleEntertainment WeeklyO: The Oprah MagazineSlateKansas City StarUSA TodayChristian Science Monitor

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY San Francisco ChronicleSt. Louis Post-DispatchThe Chicago TribuneHuffPostNewsday

©2012 Gillian Flynn (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Absorbing . . . In masterly fashion, Flynn depicts the unraveling of a marriage—and of a recession-hit Midwest—by interweaving the wife’s diary entries with the husband’s first-person account.”The New Yorker

“Ms. Flynn writes dark suspense novels that anatomize violence without splashing barrels of blood around the pages . . . Ms. Flynn has much more up her sleeve than a simple missing-person case. As Nick and Amy alternately tell their stories, marriage has never looked so menacing, narrators so unreliable.”The Wall Street Journal

“The story unfolds in precise and riveting prose . . . even while you know you’re being manipulated, searching for the missing pieces is half the thrill of this wickedly absorbing tale.”O: The Oprah Magazine

Featured Article: The 20 Best Thriller Audiobooks to Get Your Heart Racing


Few stories lend themselves to audio better than thrillers. Listening gives you time to play detective and figure out the mysteries with the characters. There’s no way to quickly flip through the tense, nerve-wracking parts—and that’s what makes hearing them so much more exciting. Whether you enjoy classic detective thrillers, or something more sinister, there are endless stories to choose from. Here are the 20 best thriller audiobooks to get you started.

Editor's Pick: Best of the Decade

Get to the gone
"I’m a sucker for great story structure, and Gone Girl uses every inch of its narrative to subvert expectations in ways that shock and amuse. The perfectly utilized diary entries fold into a legendary mid-book reveal. The face-turn-heel of a seemingly perfect victim who revels in the way they’ve expertly managed your expectations. The unreliable narrators who reveal so much about themselves by what they don’t say—or how they shape emotional states into origami. And it all feels fair; while most twist-filled stories tend to seem rather flimsy under a microscope, the closer you look at Gillian Flynn’s masterpiece, the more you notice the sheer togetherness of it all, each part working in concert with another, coalescing to form a story that has one finger firmly on the pulse of popular culture, and one on the carotid of a serial killer."—Sean T., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Gone Girl

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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not for me, felt like waste

In spite of so many good reviews I could not wait for the story to end. If it wasn't for the good narration I would have stopped at the beginning and returned it.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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This is a very good read !

I enjoyed the duel storytelling narrators. The both really brought the already awesome book alive . I would advise you to click DOWNLOAD!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

what a depressing book!

What did you like best about Gone Girl? What did you like least?

The actors who read it were excellent; I just found the story itself troubling... but then, pyschopaths ARE troubling!!

What does Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

very effective actors

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love it. looking forward to movie

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

I love Gillian Flynns writing. I always am waiting for the next page. I look forward to all of her new books.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

that's IT?

I promised myself I would NOT read anymore SERIES bc they get me so involved, so I tried this, but DAMN, if I'm feeling like it is suppose to continue!!! It truly left me hanging, wondering WHAT NEXT for AMY & Nick!!!
It was a good story but had the typical twists and kinks about a cheating husband and a wife hell-bent on getting him "back", and NOT in a good way. She is truly the sociopath and it certainly came across when ALL is disclosed.
As much as I liked the twists and turns, I'm still left wondering what's to come. There could be a continuation, if Gillian Flynn wanted to...and I'd line up to read it. Meanwhile, I'm left hanging with these psychopaths in my head!!

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Loved it!

If you could sum up Gone Girl in three words, what would they be?

Crazy KNOWS crazy

What about Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performance did you like?

I loved the narration. I felt like they were telling their story instead of reading the story.

Any additional comments?

I loved the twists and turns. There was a portion that I found a bit boring and that part could have been shortened. And I didn't like the ending. Not that the ending was bad at all, it was just that I wanted something different to happen. I like that you are taken for a ride on which character you like better - Amy . . . Nick . . . Amy . . . Nick . . . Nick . . . oh brother, they are both nuts! Loved it!

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great story, and great narration!

This story was filled with such exciting twists and turns and the way it was told was exciting. It was almost like going to the movies without the visuals.

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Good, but not as good as I thought

Where does Gone Girl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's too long, but is an interesting book.

What did you like best about this story?

The performers were good. It had plenty of tricky plots.

What does Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They make it more interesting than it would be if I read it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When I found out she had set up her disappearance.

Any additional comments?

Interesting book, but much of it could've been eliminated. I didn't like the Amy character. She was strange from the very beginning of the book. At times, I forwarded through the chapters that she was in because she was annoying.

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    3 out of 5 stars

War of the Roses rewrite

While the story was engaging, the narration superb, the ending was so dark and sad, I couldn't wait to finish it and forget it!

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Excellent

I couldn't stop listening! Very well written and performed- certainly keeps you guessing until the very bitter end!!
Well done

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