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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: Hang On to Every Last Word of These Romantic Suspense Listens


Who says romance has to be all sweet and cuddly? Mystery and suspense romance books force the protagonists to wade through personal trials, physical dangers, and all manner of other terrors to earn their happily ever after. We've gathered a list of pause-resistant listens where the romance is exciting and the suspense is intimate. Each of these suspenseful romances make for the perfect escape whenever and wherever your life needs a little extra spice.

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

Twist?

I was told I would love this book because of the twist. I was disappointed because I wasn't surprise by any of the "twists".

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Movie worthy

Well read, it was a movie in mind. I haven't seen the movie. I like to read (listen) too books before I see the movies so I can criticize the movie LOL

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

Just when you think you have it figured out ...

What made the experience of listening to Gone Girl the most enjoyable?

Great story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The wife.

Which scene was your favorite?

The lake house scene.

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

So much of it.

Any additional comments?

Listened like a crazy person. Really well written,

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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

THE audiobook that sucked me in

I listened to gone girl on a road trip when I needed a break from the same songs over and over. I didn’t really expect much until the narrators captivated my interest to the point that I was yelling at my radio (in a good way). This was the best book that I’ve found in a long time with the twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and I’ve yet to find another one that kept my interest from beginning to end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!!

Loved listening to this book. Wish all books had as a storyline and narration as this one.

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

Great book, terrible narrator

Male reader is AWFUL made the whole book almost unbearable to listen to. Too bad I was so hooked on the story to stop. His sound effects every chapter are cringe worthy.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Tedious

The book should have been half as long. I could hardly wait to finish. I was surprised at the end - but in a "that's it?" kinda way.

The narration was good. I liked having two narrators - one for Amy and one for her husband.

Perhaps an abridged version of the book would be better. It was just too long and I was constantly chomping on the bit for the story to move on.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic....until the last 45 minutes

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The ending was horrible. The book was great up until the end.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how they went back and forth between Amy's story and Nick's story.

Was Gone Girl worth the listening time?

Again, it was until the end.

Any additional comments?

Couldn't get enough. The plot twists were awesome. Then there was no justice. At the end she basically won. And she does not deserve to win.

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Awesome

What a psychological thriller!!!! What a surprise ending!! Excellent narrator! Superb!! Unexpected and diabolical! Awesome!

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AMAZING book

I adored this book, such a huge twist that I did not expect at all! The only thing I didn't like was the ending, but that's life I guess haha.

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