Just finished it tonight, and I have to say, it lives up to all the hype. Not that I'm surprised -- some excellent brains have been recommending it wholeheartedly, including Matt Schwartz, Annelise Robey, and my wife, who gobbled it in a single sitting.
I didn't devour it particularly quickly. In fact, at the start, I almost fizzled.
Which isn't to say the beginning is "bad." Not at all. But my current state of mind -- lots going on, focused on writing the new book, and... okay, the real reason I didn't get into it straight away was I'd been reading Horatio Hornblower books. Talk about fun! "To hell with half-measures!"
But I digress.
The point is, I enjoyed the opening but it didn't really hook me. Weird, right? The writing was amazing, the premise was awesome, a mystery throbbed at the center of everything, and it was making me guess and second-guess and so on, but I wasn't riveted. I never considered abandoning it, but I let myself drift away for a few non-fic / research reads before carrying on.
Then it all clicked together, and I was whipped along, amazed, bewildered, stumped... This is a fantastic thriller!
Flynn writes beautifully, and I simply can't imagine how she pulled off such an intricately structured book. I'm telling you: This is a RARE book. I honestly don't think there are many writers on the planet who could've pulled this off. The characterization, the twists, the intricacy! I know I've already used that word, but that's the right one. Gone Girl is a smoothly whirling machine of many, many tiny pieces, a genuine masterpiece.
Okay, so I'm being kind of vague, I suppose, but that's because I refuse to include any spoilers on this one. It's so incredibly good.
Gone Girl is far and away one of the best thrillers I've ever read. It's certainly a must-read for thriller writers -- though not because we will learn from it necessarily; it's so good, Flynn is so good, that I'm not sure much I can learn from it. We thriller writers should read it for the sheer, throbbing enjoyment of the thing, let it sweep us blissfully away and blow our minds the way great books did before we started thinking too much.
Have any of you read Gone Girl? If so, what did you think?
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6 comments:
JOHN: I have not read Gone Girl. Strangely enough, I'm just about finished reading Gone by Mo Hayder. Anyway, I was very interested to see why, after praising Flynn for Gone Girl, you were not immediately hooked.
So, I cheated and "looked inside" Gone Girl on Amazon. I was hooked by page 5 and will continue with it when I'm done with Gone.
I think I agree with you that the reason you were not hooked straight away was the Hornblower stories along with your own writing.
I've always had a tough time transitioning from a period novel right into a modern day story.
And in your case, you were going from a series of 19th century sea faring tales to a 21st century internet boom and doom. I've made a leap that far before and it's very tough to do.
It's like you fell into a coma and woke up 200 years later to culture shock.
But, thanks for the review and the spoiler check. I'll certainly pick up a copy. BTW. Gone is a pretty good read too.
PETE: Love your description of what it's like, switching reading gears so abruptly and severely. I definitely have a tough time with that. Though I read widely, I tend to read in pockets. I'll get on an Elmore Leonard kick, and that's all I'll want to read. Same with King. When I was younger, same with Heinlein and Philip K. Dick. I'd been feeling that same excitement for Hornblower, so yeah, you're right.
Now I'm afraid to go back to Hornblower. Ha ha. But I will.
Currently, though, I'm rereading BANDITS, and about to reread APT PUPIL.
I've been meaning to Mo Hayder. I hear she's great -- and grisly. Heather Graham's husband, Dennis, raves about her.
Have you read LeHayne? He's great, too, if you haven't read him yet. MYSTIC RIVER is one of the most powerful books I've ever read.
Glad you're going to try GONE GIRL. Let me know what you think!
JOHN: I read A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR. An awesome read and a very very cool title. And I should have kept going with Lehane because after reading that I wanted to read everything by him. I'll get back to him soon.
In the early 80's I discovered this band called The Dogmatics who turned out to be my all-time favorite Boston garage band. The singer and guitarist, Jerry Lehane is writer's cousin.
check them out. They were a really fun group of guys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_QakUvlcgM
PETE: Nice!
I'd never heard of the dogmatics -- great name, btw -- but they're a fun band. Their sound takes me back to my youth. They have that great 80's garage band sound, and they remind me a little of The Replacements, with just a hint of Ramones imitation. Cool that the singer is Lehayne's cousin...
JOHN: Replacements, great band! Yeah, the guys in the Dogmatics remind me a lot of the guys from my old neighborhood. Miss those days. I love that video.
Sadly, their bass player, Paul O'Halloran, was struck and killed by a car in 1986. The band still does shows in Boston. I wish they came down here.
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