Gone Girl

A Novel

By: Gillian Flynn

Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne

Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins

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 Times • People • Entertainment Weekly • O: The Oprah Magazine • Slate • Kansas City Star • USA Today • Christian 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 Chronicle • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Chicago Tribune • HuffPost • Newsday

©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

A knot of madness and psychosis

Do people like this really exist? As you think about it , yes they most surely do. Although their actions were not within your comprehension until you read this and sat back and remembered and projected on those uncomfortable unexplainable feelings you have had.
Performance was good but I felt like their mimicking of each other's speech during their explanations would have been better if the real voice had been inserted. But they probably tried that. I am sure Amy thought that through 15 moves past my comprehension.

Gone Girl Should Keep Going

Would you consider the audio edition of Gone Girl to be better than the print version?

I liked listening to the characters speak. There is a fluidity I like when listening to audio. In this story I vacillated between loving, hating and feeling sorry to total pathos for the main characters. I did not read the print version.

Would you be willing to try another book from Gillian Flynn? Why or why not?

I am not sure. I would like to know a little more about GIllian before I would run out and buy another book by her. I would be interested in knowing why she writes in this style. So far, and I have only read this one book by her, I don't care for it.
Her style is narcissistic and psychopathic. I would feel like I have no life if I waste time reading shallow books such as this. I am glad I "listened" to it while I walked my dog otherwise I would have been mad that I wasted so much time reading it. At least the dog and I got some good walks in while breathing the fresh air.

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

They were good story tellers. I didn't like Kirby at first but the audio is over 18 hours long and he would mimic other characters in the book and he was excellent at that. Julia was also excellent. Both their interpretations made me dislike them immensely.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Amy's and Nate's love means always having to be meaningless.

suspensful thriller with an enticing plot

Dark story which slowly reveals itself, keeping you always captivated. Great character depth, wonderfully brought out by Gillian Flynn. I especially liked the narrative styles and the two narrators did an awesome job. Overall very satisfying.

Torn!

How do you rate a story where you despise each of the characters? First you hate one, then the other, then both with intermittent sympathy? I found myself taking turns hating each of the two main characters, Nick and Amy Dunn. The book and the story is well crafted and smartly told, but I hope not to endure another story like this again. I am emotionally worn out, yet I had to keep listening to the story…even when I was totally disgusted with the characters that I wanted to slap them. This listen was like watching a train wreck that you find horrible, however you cannot pull your eyes away for a moment. Instead, you are drawn into the drama. .
My guess is readers who enjoy psychological thrillers would find this book a realistic and believable study of the complexities in relationships.
And even now I find myself wondering if a sequel will be written and I begin to speculate how the relationship will unfold.

A Great Performance, Story Ending Unsatisfactory

Any additional comments?

Both main characters were dispicable people. The narrators were both excellent in bringing that fact to light in a very creepy way. Layer by layer. I wanted a better ending to the story but I suppose there is enough information in the rest of the story to imagine the future of this couple.

Really not sure ...

Would you try another book from Gillian Flynn and/or Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ?

Yes, I would. I was not sure whether I liked this book or not. I did not care for the ending as most people did not. I was way ahead of the curve about Amy from what I read in many reviews, most people were stunned when they hit Part 2, I wasn't I had seen it coming. I did like the many twists and turns, but it is hard when you have two unlikeable characters as your main characters.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Disliked it, but also saw it coming as there were hints about it. Perhaps because I was a fan of Lost who often dropped what looked like inconsequential bits of information that turned out to be major pieces in the final puzzle, I saw a lot of what happened coming.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, I liked both narrators and felt they did a great job.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. I would wait for the video.

"Normal" marital sadism, at a level beyond . . .

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

Near the top, despite very tough competition.

What did you like best about this story?

The tension between a couple who seem very ordinary, but are steadily shown to be sinister indeed. All of us know thirty-somethings who have had to leave the big city for the small town they grew up in when finances and aging parents require it. All of us have coworkers who stray from marital fidelity. All of us know about the difficulties adjusting. This couple, however, have created a dark artwork of their resentment. Slowly we see how daily give and take becomes lethal.

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

Pacing. A sense of how a girl who may seem somewhat entitled has a backbone and can be capable of premeditated viciousness. And a guy who seems feckless is shown to knuckle down when he has no other way.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me think about my own relationships.

Any additional comments?

Truly well crafted. We get the facts only when we are ready to handle them.

Could not stop listening!

Any additional comments?

Wow ... great book all the way through, except the end, which was not very satisfying. I'd like to see story continue. I actually lost sleep because I couldn't turn it off!

She thought of everything

What did you love best about Gone Girl?

I truly enjoyed this book because it was smart and real.

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

the book was performed masterfully never losing character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

the story you always wished for

couldn't stop listening, became an obsession

I wanted to listen all the time. it was such a great story. so many crazy turns. it never wanted to stop listening.