Booknotes : Gone Girl
It’s more than just a psychotic wife and a woman.
Book Details
Author : Gillian Flynn
Published in May 24, 2012
415 Pages
Thriller
I think Gone Girl says more than just a psychotic wife and a woman. It says a lot more about the perception of the "Cool Girl" that Amy Dunne shows in the novel. And a classic toxic feminity ~ there I said it!
Sure, when a wife mysteriously goes missing or is openly murdered, it is always the husband. It’s like common knowledge and the first theory people go after in every murder case.
When a pregnant wife goes missing, it’s “proven” that it must be the husband who did not want the baby, blah blah blah …you know how this conversation normally ends, because it never ends.
Pretty much the citizens of the world, the society, the crowd are not very forgiving, or not forgiving at all, when they see the husband’s body language not looking sad or crushed to his core for losing his beloved wife. It gets worse when he is found to have a mistress on the side, almost half the age of the wife.
“The case then solves itself: it must be the husband. Look no further.”
When I read a story or watch a film, I observe everything surrounding the character. I listen to what people say about or think about the character. I love people-watching through pages and on film, because it reveals the truth, and I get to say it out loud while being on my couch at home, “Huh, that’s exactly what society likes, isn’t it?”
They are excited to hear husband-and-wife internal issues go public. They become experts, more expert than any marriage counsellor out there. They “see” details that even detectives can’t seem to see, despite having solved hundreds of murder cases before this one.
And just like that, if you are like me, sitting there wondering, “Who should I trust? Who is the victim and who is the prey here?”
Our Gone Girl, Amy Dunne, as Flynn describes in her story, is the woman who disguises herself as the perfect-looking, easy-to-like, first person to be seen as the victim, everything she touches turns to gold kind of girl. But we (the society) hate to be pointed out as shallow for thinking that. It’s taboo to say that such a sweet girl, who earns millions and lives like a queen bee, physically perfect-looking, with everything in her favour could actually be the predator, while the many “victims” live sad, poor, boring, and cheap lives that nobody wants to admit or live in.
An increasingly opinionated society has enabled this behaviour. It encourages such women to polish and use their sex appeal to get what they want.
“Appearing weak and sweet but materially powerful is appealing to society.”
“Americans love to see sinners apologise” — a quote from the book. Replace “Americans” with “society,” and now replace it again with “simple-minded society loves to see sinners apologise.” Now we are getting somewhere. Suddenly, from where you are reading this book, you can see through the society that always appears in the comment section, that “knows” everything, the first to blame because “they know,” and also the first to forgive because, of course, “they know.”
It is sad to see how the human desire to be part of the likeable, the powerful, the drop-dead gorgeous with everything they could want, gets in the way of logic and sometimes ethics are left behind.
The Peak
Towards the end of the story, we see even the detectives feel sorry for Amy and believe her lies, because it makes sense to their own insecurities. Sure, someone who grew up poor like Nick would be embarrassed to spend credit cards on expensive watches and golf sets (because the detectives themselves are part of a society that longs for the life of the perfect “Amazing Amy”). Hence, they are blinded by that fact. They forget their detective and logical instincts. They believe what they see, and not what lies beneath it.
We see this ridiculous version of a society from one of the most powerful countries in the world having such shallow thinking, questionable ethics, and flawed logic despite its once high standards of education and living quality. There are many cases like Amy and Nick Dunne, not as extreme as someone mysteriously going missing but for some reason, the version where Amy is victimised by the husband or a man is the one society loves.
You will still hear people say: “…oh well, she’s crazy for sure, that Amy, but one thing she is pretty and powerful… easy to like.”
“A bendable society, a bendable mind… and you can’t ever point it out to them.”
I hope this story reaches more people who observe beyond just Amy and her “amazing” life people who go beyond blaming her but secretly admiring her and actually reflect on how close the society in the story really is to our real life.
What to look for in this story
The woman character, as a creature that wants to be loved affectionately by her other half—that creates desperation to earn the attention that eventually goes too extreme.
The dream life that every woman wants to fit into—the Amazing Amy. We raise an eyebrow when we see, what, the books about perfect Amy sold millions of copies? Yup, you are one of those who double-tap (TikTok language—if you read this post 10 years from now and wonder what “double tap” and TikTok are) within 3 seconds of seeing a queen bee that you wish to switch bodies and lives with. It exposes every (not every, but mostly) girl’s secret desire to be as powerful and amazing as Amy. We only hate her because we can’t be her, right?
The society and their reactions to marital issues that have gone viral and public. Society’s strong opinions shift whenever it “feels” right—very much like the world we live in today.
For the love of precision in planning—the pragmatic and strategic ability to think further ahead and cause huge damage (huge enough to get the authorities’ attention). From the big picture down to a spill of blood and all. Psychological games, mind games—if you love this, this book is for you.
As for the character, I adore Amy’s precision as a planner, her attention to detail, and her long-game patience.
Part of her is still a woman who has experienced betrayal by her partner someone who remembers every detail, who has done things that people scorn and dislike. I am pretty sure many women out there relate to that side of her and understand why she does what she does. But I admire her extreme planning and how far ahead she thinks.
As for Nick, he has flaws…he is human but I don’t and would not understand why he chooses to stay trapped. That is what takes away the one star from what I would have otherwise rated a full 5 stars on Goodreads.
Rating : ★★★★☆ (4/5)
