Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn

"Gone girl" is a psychotic thriller, a riveting tale of a marriage gone terribly wrong. The story starts when the husband and the small town that they live in, find out that the wife is missing under suspicious circumstances. Through the investigation that ensues, the inner workings of Nick and Amy's dysfunctional marriage unravels in to a twisted, frightening story of lies, deceit, and mutual manipulation. The characters are brilliant and chillingly identifiable. As a reader it gets you to ponder about your own relationship with your spouse. If your marriage has plateaued, in this terrifying psychotic variant, Nick and Amy entrap themselves in a bitter, ceaseless & toxic relationship.

One of my favorite parts is when Nick describes how we as humans are finding it more & more difficult to be original "....I don't know that we are actually human at this point, those of us who are like most of us, who grew up with TV and movies and now the Internet. If we are betrayed, we know the words to say; when a loved one dies, we know the words to say. If we want to play the stud or the smart-ass or the fool, we know the words to say. We are all working from the same dog-eared script.
Its a very difficult era in which to be person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless automat of characters.
And if all of us are play-acting, there can be no such thing as a soul mate, because we don't have genuine souls. It had gotten to the point where it seemed like nothing matters. because I'm not a real person and neither is anyone else......."

Another memorable one is when Amy, the wife starts to narrate her version of the story. Its not merely memorable. Its spine-chilling. Amy's reminiscence of her past as a newly-wed, though strikes a chord in the beginning, quickly progresses to seriously disturbing as she reveals her real self. When Amy gets in to the details of her disappearance, it gives me goose-bumps. I am in awe and shock. Even though its very wrong, one can't but help admire the meticulousness, calculated attention to detail and flawlessly fool-proofed air-tight trap that Amy lays out for Nick. Her strategically placed 'evidences' that lead the investigation towards Nick are text-book. Not only does Amy have a back-up for every minute detail that could go wrong, she also has a back-up to the back up! For one whole year before she disappears, Amy brilliantly manipulates and cleverly hoodwinks every single individual not only in her own family, but also in the entire neighborhood. Its weirdly impressive the resoluteness with which she pursues her unsuspecting husband, her shivery patience to see her plan executed to text-book perfection, at the end of which she unleashes mortal destruction on Nick!
A compelling story. A must read.


P.S. I might have said too much.