2011
WISE Score
Amazon
The book that made 'unreliable narrator' a household term and marriage look like a competitive blood sport.
4.1
4.1View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
Gone Girl is a phenomenal piece of fiction, but let's be clear: it's for the parents, not the kids. It’s mean-spirited, cynical, and brilliant.
Flynn doesn't pull punches, and she doesn't care if you like her characters. If you're looking for a page-turner that will make you look at your spouse a little differently for a few days, this is it. It’s an essential modern thriller, just keep it on the high shelf.
This is strictly for adults and very mature older teens. If they aren't old enough to buy a ticket for an R-rated movie, they probably shouldn't be reading about the Dunnes' twisted games.
This is the polar opposite of wholesome. It’s a cynical, dark look at a toxic marriage where both partners are manipulative, dishonest, and occasionally sociopathic.
Gillian Flynn basically reinvented the modern domestic thriller here. The dual-narrative structure and the 'Cool Girl' monologue are brilliant bits of writing that changed the genre.
Contains graphic violence (including a very bloody throat-slitting), explicit sexual scenes, and constant profanity. Definitely not something you want a kid stumbling upon.
It offers a sharp, biting critique of how the media turns tragedies into soap operas and how people perform 'ideal' versions of themselves in relationships.
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