REVIEW: Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)

This book is terrifying, because it’s realistic. (more on this on the spoiler)

The author chose unique timeline of telling the story and partial epistolary; we are reading it from two povs, Nick and Amy. Amy’s is a flashback to some time before the current, while Nick’s starts from the current. At one point of the story, the timeline meets and we get to read both povs at the same time.

(There is a good example of concurrent point of view in A Storm of Sword, third book from the series A Song of Ice and Fire, where we read Catelyn and Arya`’s povs back and forth. No spoiler about which event. )

To me, I categorize them into three: Nick, Amy’s Diary, Amy. We are first introduced to Amy through her diary’s entries.

I can’t stand writing a review without spoiling it, because all the good stuff is in there. Personally, I have never read reviews before the book anyway.

Rating: 4 Treasure Hunts out of 5 Anniversaries

So, spoiler ahead.

I live under the rock, but I can't avoid the news sometimes, in fact, I became curious and followed the trial of the century that had just concluded (I hope!) (June 2022). What made me interested is the level of terrifying shenanigans going on and I can't help but comparing it with this book.

Fortunately, I guess, there are few similar perpetrators in real life who have the level of cunning and intelligence like Amy, who always thinks her moves a couple of steps ahead and plans everything to terrifying meticulous details. She is despicable, there is no doubt in it, but it is interesting to read a fabricated point of view and see how she twists reality to fit into her story.

Nick himself, the husband, is someone full of flaws, always making questionable and bad decisions. He is no match for Amy, but to put myself into a character, it's normal not to suspect someone you love to be a batshit psycho. He finally does, but at a terrifying cost and again, making another bad decision.

Although I am not a fan of the ending because personally, I don't think there is something I hate more than manipulation and surrender; IT IS a good ending. And actually, I like the prospect of a sequel more, I'm not sure if it is intended by the author, but there are a lot of things that are weird in this book that would make good sense for the sequel.

• Desi's mom. Her description is, well, quite disturbing, weird! The way she smells ‘vaginal’. What?? It is mentioned on more than one occasion too, and from the screen time that she has, it has to be something, right? Because imo, it is too weird to be a throwaway and designed to raise questions. She seems menacing, intimidating, and potentially a good and promising counter character, but then, nothing in this book. She is reduced to an emotionally crazy woman.

• I want to see how Amy ties the loose ends. By the way she holds grudges, I don't think she would forget Greta and Jeff who wronged her.

• Now that Nick knows who she actually is, regardless of both being the fakes of the fakest, I want to see how they play against each other with their own limitations, now that they know the other better.

• More past t0 surface. Do her parents really that clueless, or do they know but pretend that they don't?

  No one can wear mask all the time, and since I don't care or root for any of the characters, I want to see shit hitting the fan in turbo speed.

  
  

Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)

 

To me, this book is interesting, it is easy to follow as we dive into the head of the main character.

From the start, there is something odd about it. The way everyone has initials as their last names, the terms used, and the flashbacks.

The story is predictable, there are no spectacular revelations or twists. You can follow around the narration, make your guesses, and peel the story like layers of an onion. It explains everything as if the narrator is speaking with you and try to make you understand from her point of view at particular times. I think far before the end, everything is out in the open. It doesn’t go in the direction that most books feel like they need to go; I think there is a unique charm to it.

It’s thought-provoking, with a flow that makes you want to continue reading.

I give this one 4 Babies out of 5 Norfolks.

Now to spoiler territory. (And spoiler for The Island movie too)

There is a 2005 movie that I like, but it is considered a low-rated movie because the director kind of screwing and focusing on different strengths of the story. It is called The Island. Imo, the main idea itself is very strong, and it creates an intriguing world that is probably close to reality in our future. I would like to add another movie here, The Passenger, in which the same thing happens. They both should be great movies, but Hollywood felt the need to make them bombastic, bang bang, and in the end, they couldn’t conclude them properly. Fortunately, some things remain, and they make me think long after I have watched it. A lot. The ideas themselves leave a lot of impressions.

Since very early in the book, it reminds me of The Island; I know almost instantly that it’s about clones (I checked the year and believe in the early 2000s there were a lot of hypes and shows about cloning).

So it tells the story about Hailsham, some type of Academy where children are reared to become donors. That is their destiny, when they are ready, they give donations until they perish.

I like the book gives it a lot of soul, to make us see it subtly but doesn’t try to mislead the readers. If you expect actions, solutions, or reactions, you will be disappointed. I think that is the charm of this book, instead of turning it into predictable actions or forced conclusions. However, there is a tiny dissatisfaction about it as well, but I can live with that.

So the kids in Hailsham are considered the lucky ones, they get to experience childhoods and lives, before finally becoming carers and donors. Donors to everyone in need (who can afford it I suppose), donors to the actual human. It’s terrifying, really. To put it simply, they are harvested until their death. Some survive two donations, some fours, but most of them need to go to the grueling last stage of their life when they are basically harvested like vegetables. These are implied in the book, and not in so many details, but the writing on the wall is clear. I guess the first donation is something ‘light’ like blood, bone marrow or a kidney, or probably half a liver. The second and above should be something critical and fatal. And the last stage is when you are just alive enough to be harvested until they ‘shut you down’.

It explores the same issue with The Island, but this book offers no solution or way out, which is something I find a tiny bit frustrating, and I wish there are some explanations to help me understand that. I have unanswered questions and curiosity, for example, what is the early life like? Where do they start? Why are they so submissive? They have the knowledge, resources, and enough awareness. Where is flight or fight?

Having said that, I am fine that the book ends the way it is. And if I read deeper, the answer could be implied as well, there could be some tinkering to make them that way, physically or emotionally, like the way they are unable to reproduce. Although many of them have a lot of traits and ideologies, it’s questionable why there are zero attempts, even in thoughts.

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