You think you know someone....

This post is inspired by mystery thriller GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn. They may not have the perfect marriage, but after Amy goes missing, Nick becomes the number one suspect. Can he discover what happened before it's too late? Join From Left to Write on June 12 as we discuss Gone Girl. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

 

 

The first thing I have to say is, I just cannot say enough good things about this book!  Holy cow! You know how sometimes you get in bed with a book, and set a time limit for yourself so you don't end up staying up all night reading?  This book will blow your limit off the map.  It's a fantastically written mystery that travels roads you never even considered.  I thought I knew what was going on, and who did what to whom, at a few points in the book, and I was wrong every single time.  I can't wait to get my hands on more books by this author.  

At first, I felt sorry for Nick.  Then I felt sorry for Amy.  Then I felt like neither of them deserved any pity.  These two have got one messed-up relationship.  I have been thinking about this book since I finished it a couple of weeks ago, and I've been thinking about not only the book itself, but all the issues and questions it raises.  Well, to be perfectly honest, it raises some questions I sure can't answer and don't really want to think about too hard, but it also made me think about the idea of really knowing someone.  Do we ever really, really know anyone?  Even our closest friends or spouses or children? 

Have you ever had that experience where you feel like you really know someone....you know their thoughts and opinions, you can finish their sentences, and you know what they're going to say before they open their mouths, and then they hit you broadside with something you never, ever would have expected from them? 

I have.

Or have you had the experience where you felt like you knew someone so well, that you'd know in a second if they were hiding something from you, or lying to you, or even just trying to surprise you, and then you find that they were pulling something off right under your nose?

I have.  

I guess these questions sound sort of ominous, but surprises come in different sizes and flavors; a surprise isn't always a nasty one.  My husband, who knows me really well, pulled off a giant surprise right under my nose last year, and I don't know if I was more shocked about the surprise itself or the fact that he could and did hide something from me for months.  We had been discussing buying a new vehicle for awhile and it was my 'turn'....the last time we'd replaced a vehicle he'd gotten to choose and he was the one who'd drive it.  He knew exactly what type of car I'd had my eye on, down to color, seat material and how many cup holders it should have.  Also, it must be said, during this time, I was finishing my last two quarters of college and Capt America has been known to make 'the grand gesture' on occasion.  At some point, I don't know exactly when, he started squirreling away some money each pay period.  He stashed money, a little bit at a time, away for several months,  and when he had racked up the amount he had in mind for a down payment, he placed an order with the local GMC dealer.  He almost completely pulled it off without me having one single clue, but I asked him some minor question about money, I can't even remember what it was.  He got super defensive and vague, which of course did nothing to answer my question, but only made me immediately suspicious.  What exactly I was suspicious of, I had no idea, but all of a sudden it was very clear that he was trying to steer me somewhere else. 

Long story short is that he finally asked me to just trust him and give him a few more days without any questions, which I tried mightily to do, with varying degrees of success.  As promised, a few days later, he made up some silly reason why we had to run an errand in the neighborhood of the dealership.  He was practically bursting by the time we got there, just in time to see the sales guy pulling up to the curb in our shiny new Acadia.  Whaddaya know?



Suffice it to say, that this is not the type of surprise that Amy has for Nick.  Or that Nick has for Amy.  Or that Gillian Flynn has for her readers.   I don't want to ruin the book for you; the surprises are what makes it so compelling and so hard to put down.  Just when you think you know what Nick is going to say, or what Amy might have done, they will surprise you.