Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Summary

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? (Goodreads)

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Discussion topics

1. Name one social issue Flynn addresses through Gone Girl. Remember how the neighborhood reacted to Amy’s disappearance. Does the book exaggerate it or it oversimplifies the issue?
2. How do you see both Nick and Amy as individual characters? Remember Amy’s quizzical thoughts and nick’s ‘charming’ smile. How do you see them as a married couple?
3. Earlier in Chapter 1, Nick talks about meta-definition of his bar. Meta questions try to understand a meaning behind someone’s experience. Why do you think Flynn writes about Gone Girl?
4. Flynn uses straightforward conversations in the Gone Girl universe. Does the ordinary life justify both Nick and Amy’s amazingness? Reflect on your own life moment and how you thrive to be significant.
5. Flynn uses both Nick and Amy’s perspective on domestic violence, infidelity, and a staged life. Imagine their unborn baby narrates the story. How do you think it will change the story? How do you think it will not change the story?