Join Gillian Flynn to discuss February's Book of the Month, Gone Girl, Tuesday 26 February, 9-10pm

[TillyBookClub]

What is your most memorable whoa-I-didn't-expect-that moment? The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects finale? That naked bit in The Crying Game? Or maybe the midway point in Sarah Waters' Fingersmith? Our February book of the month is about to take its place in the pantheon of all-time greatest plot twisters.

GONE GIRL is an intelligent, astute, darkly witty thriller about a marriage. About two people, Nick and Amy, who think they know each other. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, with presents waiting and the annual treasure hunt ready to begin, Amy has disappeared. The police arrive, the media seizes hungrily on the story and Nick soon finds himself the main suspect.

A modern-day Patricia Highsmith, Gillian Flynn makes you squirm with horror yet keeps you riveted. As Kate Atkinson said: "I have no doubt that in a year's time I'm going to be saying that this is my favourite novel of 2012. Brilliant."

You can find more detail on our February book of the month page. Get your paperback or Kindle edition here.

And don't miss Gillian's sharply written website.

We are thrilled that Gillian will be joining us to discuss the book and answer any questions about GONE GIRL and her writing career on Tuesday 26 February, 9-10pm. Hope you can join us...

SPB I think she made the tulips up as it fitted her story better to have Desi viewed as a stalker. Same as the 10 foot fence, no keys to get out etc.

Oh now you're messing with my mind, it never occurred to me that the second part was an unreliable narrative from her!

Oh ditto, that didn't occur to me either!

Yes, me too, that wasn't diary style it was actual story style

But it is Amy telling the story so it is her reflection of her 'truth'. It has been a long time since a novel annoyed me so much. The previous one I hated was the Time Traveller's Wife but that was more to do with style. The substance of Gone Girl annoys me as the plot is so full of holes.

Given her parents' exploitation of Amy in their 'Amazing Amy' enterprise, I would have expected to feel a certain amount of sympathy for her, flawed as she is as an adult, but I just couldn't and didn't...

But it did seem like a novel that reverted to type, as is so often the case with this type of thriller, with a cunning, manipulative woman and a rather dense, motivated-by-sex, man....

I just finished reading this, it felt very strange reading it a the same time as the Oscar Pistorius case was unfolding, anyone else? I'm paranoid that I'll be talking to someone about the case and get it confused with the book!!
I enjoyed the twists but like others have said bit disappointed with the ending.
My question for Gillian is, I read you grew up in Kansas City, do you think that your chosen genre is linked to novels like 'In Cold Blood' which was famously set in the same region?
Thanks for coming onto Mumsnet!

Question about technique, I guess. Gillian - did you create other parts of the plot or character development that you then didn't show? I'm thinking of maybe how the characters Amy manipulated early on got over that and what they thought about her in the intervening years before she was back in the spotlight.

Really enjoyed the book - it kept me wanting more, however, like many others have said I was disappointed with the ending. I felt much more sympathy for Nick than Amy, as he was trying to be a better man despite his flaws whereas Amy came over as progressively more evil as the story developed! I figured the main twist out early on, but it was still a good read. Some may say Nick deserved to be stuck with Amy at the end but he was trying to do the right thing by protecting his child-to-be, and I felt quite sorry for him. It left me feeling "I hope the child will be happy despite it's twisted mother".

I really enjoyed the book too, but as others have said, I was really disappointed with the ending. I was willing Amy to get her comeuppance!! All in all I enjoyed the twists and turns and am looking forward to the webchat to see what Gillian thinks of the comments re the ending...

Just briliant! I loved the ending!

Just finished Gone Girl last night. Now I have to say that I don't have a wealth of murder who-done-it's to draw upon.

I really liked the way the present time was mixed with Amy's diary to make it to the present collectively. Yeah, that was clever! Kept you hanging on.

I didn't like what I thought was in places, unnecessary crudity and bad language. Now I do take into account that if you have unsavoury characters you may get a bit of unsavoury language. I also understand that this issue is subjective, what I find nasty someone else might not, but as I say I thought there was a lot of unnecessary language in this book.

Problem is... the language and crudity didn't really start until I the book got going and so I found myself in a bit of a predicament, not wanting to read on... but wanting to find out how it unfolds and what happens.

In truth if it hadn't been for the fact that I was reading this book as part of the mumsnet book club and looking forward to the discussion on Tuesday night I would have definitely given the book back to the library.

It is a cleverly put together book, just put off with the vulgar bits.

Salfer, I think you need to start a thread of your own, there is a list of topic if you click on "talk". Hope you find out what you need to know :) if its a media enquiry (not sure about your motivation, from what you've written) you need to run it last mnhq

Yes ,,,sorry . Wrong place :|

I quite enjoyed the book but felt disappointed by the end. However i felt it was like the author couldn't let go of either Nick or Amy. Is there any truth in my theory?

I found the disturbing character of Amy and her complex relationships fascinating. I was impressed by the final pregnancy twist but very concerned about the mental well being of her unborn child! When writing the novel was it always your intention to have Amy trap Nick in the marriage forever or did you seriously consider other options? Personally I am still hoping that in the future Nick saves the child from Amy's clutches although as we know we can never underestimate Amy!

This is one of the best examples of unreliable narrative that I've read - I thought it was refreshing to not be rooting for one character or another. In fact, I found the ambivalence that I felt towards Nick and Amy made the process of reading the book a more engrossing experience. Your instinct is to feel sympathy for first Amy, then Nick, then the rug is pulled from under you. It shows just how shallow traditional "thrillers" can be (not that there's anything wrong with losing yourself in one of those now and again!). So the book becomes about the process of reading (and your interpretation) as much as the plot itself (if that's not too wanky).

Anyway, I have a couple of questions for Gillian. Do you think some people are approaching the book in the wrong way because it's been marketed as a thriller? I know people who have said "Oh I don't want to read that, I'm not really into thrillers".

Secondly, in a book where the main protagonists are so unlikeable, who is the moral centre of the book? Is it Go? Boney? I thought it was interesting that you had a central female villain, and that all the main male characters were also unsympathetic (Nick, Amy's Dad, Desi) but you had two females to whom you could remain sympathetic throughout.

Also interested in what other options you considered for the ending.

How weird - spamming?

Yes spam. How you can earn loads of $ working from home etc etc.

I loved the book but wondered whether you considered a diffferent ending?

I loved this book as I've said on other threads I read it in a night. Luckily my sons were at their dad's and dp was at work (nightshift) but I still read it until I finished it at 7am, then had a good lie in

My question is about a possible movie? If you have any say on casting would you please consider Ryan Gosling as he can do hot and horny and also tortured soul. And I love him

Also sneaky extra one, your skin is so lovely, what's your secret or is it lucky genes?