Re-Reading Gone Girl (Spoilers!)

For one of my exams this year, I’m writing on unreliable narrators. And who better to talk about for this than Amy from Gone Girl? This means, obviously, re-reading the book, and having to pick up on a lot of different little things that I hadn’t noticed before. 

Amy is extremely clever. Everything she does is leading up to this big reveal in part 2, and knowing what I know from the first time I read it, I noticed a hundred and one different clues. Amy planned every single sentence she wrote, don’t you ever doubt that. What you don’t realise, though, is how clever Gillian Flynn was with it all. She, of course, was also attempting to have us shocked by the big reveal, and this means Nick was really not helping his case. Even knowing the truth, the two girls had me convinced that Nick was guilty. How could he not be? Every single thing pointed to him. Nick has a particular type of personality that makes him anxious to never get in trouble, and that made him do stupid things. This man is an idiot, making him the perfect target for Amy. Sure, she did a hell of a lot of work, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have an easy job to start with. 

What we forget while we’re reading this is that Amy is a writer. Sure, she does quizzes, but she’s still a writer. She knows how to tell a story, and she knows how to make the characters in her story act in the exact way she wants them to. We get so wrapped up in the idea of this story being completely real, that we forget how easy it is to manipulate fiction. Amy reminds us by the end. We’re constantly reminded that everyone is a character, that Amy is writing a diary, that Nick is desperate to get back into the world of writing. And do we doubt either of their stories for a second? Of course not! It’s a book, it must be real. 

As messed up as she is, I admire Amy. Amy wraps all of us around her little finger, to the point where we’re lapping up the awful life she had to lead. She does the same to the police, and it’s genius. She thinks of every little thing to frame Nick, and it isn’t until you re-read the book that you really realise the effort she put into her revenge. Not that I could ever do something as psychopathic as her, but I really do admire her stamina and planning ability. Re-reading this book made it even more enjoyable, and I gave it five stars the first time around!