David Schwinghammer's Blog - Posts Tagged "recession"
GONE GIRL
Some readers might think GONE GIRL is a fictional version of a "48 Hours" episode. It certainly does sound that way at times.
One difference is that the novel is somewhat topical. The two main characters, Nick and Amy Dunne run afoul of the Great Recession. At the beginning of the book both are writers living the great life in New York City. But then Nick loses his job working at a magazine and Amy follows suit shortly afterwards. She was working, somewhat beneath herself, as a personality quiz writer for magazines like COSMOPOLITAN.
They're not really in trouble yet, unless you count Nick's depression. They're not hurting financially since Amy is an heiress. Her affectionate parents wrote a series of children's books staring a barely disguised version of their daughter entitled, AMAZING AMY, which explains a lot.
Then Nick's mother is stricken with cancer, and Nick decides to move back to Missouri to be with her; he and his twin sister, Margot, borrow money from Amy's trust fund to buy a bar. Amy is outwardly cheerful but is a seething volcano inside. This isn't the life she pictured for herself; she wants her ideal life back, and she wants her old husband back.
Nick is a guy's guy; he has trouble remembering anniversaries and birthdays, Valentine's day, whatever. Amy claims she doesn't want to be one of those Dumb Doras who gets her undies in a bundle when her husband doesn't conform to wifely expectations. Their fifth anniversary is about to arrive and Nick still hasn't figured out what to get her. We all know twenty-fifth is silver and fiftieth is gold. Some might even know that first is paper, but who knows the fifth is wood. Amy likes to put Nick through the ringer with little scavenger hunts during their anniversaries. Nick hates them because he can rarely understand what she's hinting at. Nick's sister, whom he calls "Go", isn't very helpful. She suggests he "Go home (blank) her brains out, then smack her with your (blank) and scream, `There's some wood for you, (blank). "Go" is the most unique character in the book but considering the seriousness of what's happening there's not a whole lot for her to do.
The similarity to "48 Hours" occurs when Amy disappears. The door is open, the cat is sitting on the doorstep, too stupid to run away, a dress is on the ironing board upstairs and the iron is still on, but Amy is missing. Did a stranger kidnap Amy? Did she run away? Did her husband kill her? The husband is usually the principal suspect and as time goes by this case isn't any different. Nancy Grace even makes an appearance as a fictional character, and she's not a Nick fan. All Nick has to prove his innocence is Amy's scavenger hunt, and he follows it religiously. It's a lot easier than it usually is.
We also have Amy's journal to help us learn what she was thinking before she left. Author Gillian Flynn alternates between the two characters chapter wise. About half way through, we get a serious twist which makes Nick look even more guilty.
The ending is a bit, okay a lot, disappointing, because the culprit doesn't get his/her comeuppance and Flynn leaves us hanging. In one respect it's kind of intriguing because you can predict what's going to happen if you try hard enough. One of the characters has already told us.
One difference is that the novel is somewhat topical. The two main characters, Nick and Amy Dunne run afoul of the Great Recession. At the beginning of the book both are writers living the great life in New York City. But then Nick loses his job working at a magazine and Amy follows suit shortly afterwards. She was working, somewhat beneath herself, as a personality quiz writer for magazines like COSMOPOLITAN.
They're not really in trouble yet, unless you count Nick's depression. They're not hurting financially since Amy is an heiress. Her affectionate parents wrote a series of children's books staring a barely disguised version of their daughter entitled, AMAZING AMY, which explains a lot.
Then Nick's mother is stricken with cancer, and Nick decides to move back to Missouri to be with her; he and his twin sister, Margot, borrow money from Amy's trust fund to buy a bar. Amy is outwardly cheerful but is a seething volcano inside. This isn't the life she pictured for herself; she wants her ideal life back, and she wants her old husband back.
Nick is a guy's guy; he has trouble remembering anniversaries and birthdays, Valentine's day, whatever. Amy claims she doesn't want to be one of those Dumb Doras who gets her undies in a bundle when her husband doesn't conform to wifely expectations. Their fifth anniversary is about to arrive and Nick still hasn't figured out what to get her. We all know twenty-fifth is silver and fiftieth is gold. Some might even know that first is paper, but who knows the fifth is wood. Amy likes to put Nick through the ringer with little scavenger hunts during their anniversaries. Nick hates them because he can rarely understand what she's hinting at. Nick's sister, whom he calls "Go", isn't very helpful. She suggests he "Go home (blank) her brains out, then smack her with your (blank) and scream, `There's some wood for you, (blank). "Go" is the most unique character in the book but considering the seriousness of what's happening there's not a whole lot for her to do.
The similarity to "48 Hours" occurs when Amy disappears. The door is open, the cat is sitting on the doorstep, too stupid to run away, a dress is on the ironing board upstairs and the iron is still on, but Amy is missing. Did a stranger kidnap Amy? Did she run away? Did her husband kill her? The husband is usually the principal suspect and as time goes by this case isn't any different. Nancy Grace even makes an appearance as a fictional character, and she's not a Nick fan. All Nick has to prove his innocence is Amy's scavenger hunt, and he follows it religiously. It's a lot easier than it usually is.
We also have Amy's journal to help us learn what she was thinking before she left. Author Gillian Flynn alternates between the two characters chapter wise. About half way through, we get a serious twist which makes Nick look even more guilty.
The ending is a bit, okay a lot, disappointing, because the culprit doesn't get his/her comeuppance and Flynn leaves us hanging. In one respect it's kind of intriguing because you can predict what's going to happen if you try hard enough. One of the characters has already told us.
