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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: What it is Like to be Duped? Read this Thriller to Find Out

A well crafted thriller that plays little tricks with the reader. But the manipulation really lies in the reader’s oblivion to this fact until halfway through the story.

Nick has been accused of foul play after his wife, Amy goes missing. All clues would appear to lead to an eventual discovery of a body, but no body is found. This confounds the police, particularly Boney who can read situations beyond what is apparent. Something doesn’t add up.

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Diary of a Psychopath

Alternating chapters tells Amy’s story via a secret diary up to the point of her disappearance. Nick apparently has been an unpleasant husband, spending all her money and growing more moody and selfish. The final straw is when Amy discovers Nick is having an affair with the local bimbo.

It would seem Amy had sacrificed her life as a writer and her friends in New York to live in the Deep South where she grows increasingly isolated and disillusioned. The story really drew me in and I enjoyed Flynn’s eloquent writing which underlined the sort of person Amy is. My feelings towards certain characters in the thriller took a 180 degree swing, not only regarding Nick and Amy, but also her ex boyfriend, Desi.

Duping the Reader

I did feel some unnecessary padding towards the final third of the book, where Amy loses money to a couple of tramps, and the ending was slightly unsatisfying, but did not detract from the entertainment value. But in the end, Flynn was making a point. Be careful of who you meet. Not everyone is what they appear to be. Some people make an art of duping. Lies can be wrapped in truth. But the nature of the narcissist will always come out in time.

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