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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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Watch out for the cliff at the end of this one

Any additional comments?

Although it takes a while to get going, Gone Girl works its way up to gripping psychodrama that twists and turns and surprises. I spent much, if not most, of this book thinking four or five stars. Great, creepy fun. What wonderful final twist will the author pull out of her hat to end this thing?And then it ended. Does it count as a spoiler to say the book has no ending? I was literally yelling at my iPhone. "That's it? Are you kidding me?" It was as if the author simple got tired of typing or ran out the battery on her laptop or hit a page limit imposed by her publisher.Wow. Was she writing this thing on Twitter? It all but stops in mid-

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this is why I'm single!

amazing suspense. what kind of mind can come up with such a stick twisted plot.... my ex girlfriend.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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SPOILER ***

Hated the ending... Because even though nick got his last word in,.. The narcissistic, self-serving, crazy, sociopath Amy...she would just laugh it off as a 'oh Nick..(giggle).

Or, maybe I missed something/didn't 'get' something. I just expected a 'screw up' to nail her.

Great suspenseful story though.

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If you liked the movie, you'll like this!

The narrators are excellent & the story is intriguing... hours of entertainment! I was surprised that the movie stayed pretty true to the story... but the story explains everything in more detail & makes motives crystal clear. I highly recommend this.

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Wodnerful!!!

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

A hilarious surprise!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nick.

Have you listened to any of Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. This was my first listen.

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

Not really. But I loved this book.

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Even better that I thought!

I got this book because I had heard a lot of good reviews. I thought it would be a fun listen, but I didn't except that I'd love the book as much as I did. Fun sure, but the author also has written such an engrossing story that challenges the reader/listener to think about the meaning of marriage, relationship, good and evil and how much faith we should put into our first impressions.

Additionally, the performance of the readers are excellent. I love the quality of readers Audible is able to get, and the performers here are no exception. Great book, great fun and great performances. Whether you are looking for a fun read, something to make you think or the chance to hear great talent, this book will not disappoint.

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Great "read"!

I totally loved it and would definitely recommend the book and the audio version to anyone!

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Good read

Wow, pleasantly surprised. This story caught me off guard. I really enjoyed it and the narration was superb.

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Great Book with Tons of Great Twist and Turns

What did you love best about Gone Girl?

Just when I thought I had the story figured out, a new twist would blow my mind!

What other book might you compare Gone Girl to and why?

n/a

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne – was your favorite?

I loved them all.

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

The ending. I actually loved it.

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Good story, bad language

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

Fascinating, scary, entertaining

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

I thought both of the readers did an amazing job. They were both very believable.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the creativity of this author, although the story was really dark and kind of depressing. But the language was horrible. I would have enjoyed the story more if the language hadn't been so coarse. I think you can tell a great, even horrifying story without so much profanity.

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