Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Q&A

I bought this book just before Gransnet mentioned it. I enjoyed it very much, very well plotted and original. I think I detested both husband and wife by the end - they deserved each other!

The other characters were hard to like too - quite refreshing. It's good to get away from the happy ever after from time to time.

Thank you I also received a free copy but am already reading something. Despite the reviews I will give it a whirl and hope I enjoy it. My last book was The Unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce , a brilliant read for anyone interested.
Mads

I haven't actually read the book yet , but my question for Gillian Flynn is: what made you pick thriller as the genre for all three of your books?

I wondered if you had any reasons for Nick to reveal his affair so late in the day, other than that you needed him to for the plot? - I felt if I'd known about the affair in the early part of the book I would have taken a different view of him. Novelists are allowed to withhold information of course, and unreliable narrators are unreliable, but this was a barefaced lie - of omission at least - and I felt slightly cheated.

I wondered if you secretly admired Amy?!

Presumably you have to plot your novels meticulously beforehand? Do you enjoy that part of writing and how long does it take you compared to the actual writing bit?

Hi Gillian,

I was intrigued by the whole Amazing Amy thing - were you suggesting that Amy's parents were to blame for the way she was? Did you want to legitimise her rather than make her simply a psychopath?

I have a question about Amy as well. You give her some very powerful stuff to say about the price you have to pay to be a cool girl. It's a really blistering passage (and from over here makes American dating sound absolutely repulsive!) Are you trying to make a case for her as someone who genuinely has something to avenge?

I wondered if you were intending to comment on more than a particular marriage in the book? Were you saying something about the decline of middle class lifestyle - not that it turns people into psychopaths and liars, but perhaps that it it places intolerable strains on a lot of marriages?

A lot of people have sort of asked this question, but were you worried that in creating two such horrible characters, with very few redeeming features, you would lose sympathy for them?

The books seems to polarise opinion. A lot of people love it of course - look at the sales - but the ones who don't like it really don't like it.

Do you think Nick would really stay at the end, knowing what a monster Amy is and what she's capable of?
I just wasn't convinced he'd stick around. He is absolutely not as mad as her.

Hi Gillian,

My question is: why do you think this book has had such success? What is it that grabs people's imagination? And did you know when you were writing it that it was that kind of book?

What has success enabled you to do? How has it changed your life?

Coffee walnut cake or chocolate cake?

How long did it take you to write the book? Did you have to do a lot of research on the police and legal stuff?

What did you mean readers to make of Desi? I thought he was frankly peculiar.

Will you have much input to the film?

Thank you for my copy - I have not had time to open it yet but am intrigued by all the comments and am looking forward to reading it.

how funny just seen all this chat about 'gone girl' my daughter aged 28 in Oz has it as her book club book and recomended it to me.. thought it was not for oldies.. perhaps I should read it now.

I also am having trouble with this book. I have already decided I hate the married couple and really don't care what happens to them.I will however finish the book and give a new review then. Hard work!!!!

Finished it. I thought it was a bit like an onion, you had to peel off the layers. Very cleverly written...it would adapt into an excellent film. As a thriller I felt it was a slow starter but picked up pace and intrigued me to the end. Nick is quietly waiting for revenge, I guess. Amy's parents are so sickly, saccharin sweet and have done untold damage to her self esteem with their Amazing Amy legacy. By the end of the book the circle is starting again - watch out, child of Amy and Nick. Could a sequel be on the cards maybe?

Oh and I managed to read it without creasing the spine so may still wrap it up for DIL. Does that make me an evil, scheming cheapskate or just a thrifty, needy pensioner?

Sorry - just realised what a spoiler alert is. Hope that's not ruined it for anyone

I've finally read it. By page 30 I was ready to give up but I carried on and then found it hard to put down, even though I hated all the characters especially Amy and Nick. The various twists and revelations kept me guessing, but like an earlier poster, I turned the page expecting a bit more, only to find it had ended, too abruptly for me. I'm not a prude but I did find Amy's language in one particular section distasteful, although at the same time I could feel the hatred that made her think that way.

I struggled at times to maintain interest. At the beginning it was mostly because I wasn't sure if I liked Nick and I hate reading about key characters that I don't take to. At the end I was cross that Amy was getting away with what she had done. It was quite intriguing at times and I quite liked the alternate chapters approach. But anyway thank you for sending me the book.

I'm sorry to say that I downloaded the "sample" onto my Kindle and couldn't be bothered to go any further than that! There are too many other books to read and I decided not to waste time on one that I was struggling with.

Sorry - that should have been - one with which I was struggling