Gone Girl was one of those reads that I didn't want to end, certainly it gets the "Kay Book of the Year" 2013 award (though published in 2012, I read it only this year).
What do I look for in a book that I would aspire to an award by moi?
It needs to be unpredictable. Nothing worse that dragging through a book with no surprises. Matter of fact, I'm still not even sure how the darn thing really ended, which I'm sure was the authors' intent. The story takes 3 huge twists, each written as a different section. The construction is brilliant.
I want to live in someone's life that isn't at all like mine. I was never the spoiled NYC rich girl, and I certainly have never been kidnapped.
Literary cleverness and/or amazing prose is a must, and though this story has more of the clever part and less of the breathtaking prose, the descriptions are very excellent. For example, consider this most excellent runoff sentence. "I was tucking her in properly and our faces were close, and her cheeks were a merry holiday-sledding pink, and it was the kind of thing that could never have happened in another hundred nights, but that night it was possible." Nice? The words take you away.
It needs to be well written by someone with a command of the English language better than my own.
I haven't decided yet if this is chick lit as it is a love story, kind of, and a murder mystery, sort of, with a solid dash of sociopathic and other interesting personalities, and enough turns in the very compelling story to make you dizzy.
This would be a fun choice for a book club discussion, or a nice present for a mature female friend. I had read some great reviews, so I purchased it for our annual book club Xmas party exchange in 2012. It ended up back to me after Y. had finished, and it will continue to circulate among our members. I am excited to see what they thought of the ending.
I can't wait to tear into Gillian Flynn's other novels, Sharp Objects (2007) and Dark Places (2010). I'm hooked now.
