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The Irony Of It All
Brad Hollerbach

'Gone Girl' Book Boners

Posted Wednesday, October 2, 2013, at 6:00 AM

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  • Exactly where you draw the line between reality/ fact and "fiction" aka make believe.

    Would the main character (aka Ben) actually have to kill his wife? Which one would he need to kill, his actual wife (Jennifer) or the pretend wife from the book? (Since Gone Girl movie crew has taken over Cape, I'm sure they feel comfortable with a first name basis.)

    Do you have a problem with the pretend police station? After all, that is not reality or fact.

    Clearly, Cape is not 20 miles north of Hannibal.

    It is fiction, it would be less interesting and disappointing if all details were accurate. IMO

    -- Posted by Otoe on Wed, Oct 2, 2013, at 2:44 PM
  • That's funny!

    -- Posted by kcvideo on Wed, Oct 2, 2013, at 3:43 PM
  • First of all, I'm not talking about the movie, I'm talking about the book and the author was a little sloppy in the details. She identified where the made up town of North Carthage is located, but then contradicted herself elsewhere in the novel instead of being consistent.

    I believe a fictional work should stay true to the facts of its particular universe.

    While Gone Girl is a standalone book (for now) and North Carthage is a fictional place, other places, events and dates idenfitied in the book are very much real.

    Hannibal, St. Louis and Ladue are real places. The recession that caused Nick and Amy to lose their jobs was/is a real event. Amy's diary entries are very specific dates.

    And I feel "North Carthage" should conform to this universe in which it has been set. It can't be both north of Hannibal AND south of Hannibal, but the book essentially places it in both of these locations. Which is it? These are details that only an observant reader might notice and I'm a little surprised that Gillian Flynn's editor didn't catch them.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Wed, Oct 2, 2013, at 4:53 PM
  • I found the book decently interesting until the ending. I still think someone ripped the last 20 or so pages out and there is an ending I don't know about. While you might be a fan of Stephen King, I think this is a book in his genre: a decent writer keeps writing until they run out of ideas - then the end the book with no real resolution or ending.

    -- Posted by ParkerDaws on Sat, Oct 5, 2013, at 3:08 PM
  • Parker,

    You're not the only one who feels the story is lacking. Several people I know who read the book think a sequel is in order (Gone Boy?). I'm not so sure a book is in order, but there were definitely some unanswered questions.

    Perhaps if someone bumps into the author Gillian Flynn they should ask her. She was in town watching the movie production last night.

    Speaking of Stephen King, I don't normally read his work but did watch the summer mini-series Under the Dome based on his novel. Read the synopsis of the book and was surprised at the liberties taken by the mini-series. Besides some of the characters and the setup, there's not a lot in common.

    And CBS's decision to extend the mini-series to a second season was a crock, obviously just an excuse to make more money instead of providing the viewers with a complete story as promised.

    Sorry, I kind of got off topic, but Under the Dome has been a peeve of mine.

    Thanks for reading.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Sat, Oct 5, 2013, at 3:26 PM
  • You apparently don't read much because this is not remotely close to "chick lit." Bridget Jones Diary is "chick lit." Wow.

    -- Posted by thewaterboy on Sat, Oct 5, 2013, at 4:46 PM
  • Waterboy,

    After reviewing the Wikipedia definition of "chick lit" I would have to agree with you and in hindsight I would not have used the phrase when referring to the book. Psychological Thriller would have been a better genre to place it.

    However, it does feature a strong female character which appears to be one of the criteria used by some "chick lit" book clubs. Amy is unquestionably a strong female character.

    The one crucial difference between Amy and Bridget Jones is that Bridget is likable. I've talked to a half dozen women who have read Gone Girl, and every one of them feels the same about Amy as Nick does by the end of the book.

    That doesn't mean they like Nick either, but they like her less and I would have to agree. But she is a very interesting character, like Walter White on the TV series Breaking Bad. There was not much to like about him by the end of the show, but he was fascinating to watch.

    Thanks for reading and pointing out the error.

    -- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Sat, Oct 5, 2013, at 5:59 PM