[amazon_link id=”B008Y5VE3U” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]Title : Gone Girl
Author : Gillian Flynn
Genre : Mystery
Narrators : Kirby Heyborne and Julia Whelan
Publisher : Random House Audio
Listening Length : 19 hrs 11 min
Source : Library
Rating : 5/5

Nick Dunne and Amy Elliot Dunne have been married five years, when on the day of their anniversary, Amy disappears from their McMansion in North Carthage, Missouri. There are signs of a struggle and the local cops are called in once Nick returns home and finds the front door ajar and Amy gone.

As the audio rolls, you realize that Nick and Amy are no ordinary couple. Yes, they are having ordinary married-life problems after settling in North Carthage, a far cry from their swanky, effervescent life in New York where both had writerly jobs (from which they were let go), but that is expected. In small-town Missouri, Amy has settled to be home-maker, while Nick has opened up a bar along with his twin sister Margo. Now that Amy has disappeared, their personal lives are being scanned minutely, and circumstantial evidence is piling up. Nick is under suspicion of Amy’s murder – he is flummoxed by her disappearance he says, but has no firm alibi for that time.

The book is told in first person, both from Nick and Amy’s point of views. Each chapter is from one person’s viewpoint and the viewpoints, and the chapters alternate. We hear Amy’s side of things from her diary, while Nick recounts his version of events starting from “the day of” the disappearance. Both narratives, obviously, are deeply biased to the narrator’s point of view, but it is clear that this is a love-match between “a great, gorgeous dude” and a beautiful, smart, young trust-fund heiress. It’s been five years though, and the love-story has been subjected to some wear and tear.

This is a very up-close and personal, psychological thriller. It starts off a little slow, but then revs up after Amy’s disappearance. Flynn keeps a tight grip on the suspense, revealing facts little by little. The first person point of view gives us an almost casual, off the cuff summary of events and happenings – lots of asides, quips and banter, leaving one quite unprepared for the plot twists (just the way I like it!). Amy and Nick’s personalities are drawn razor sharp, etched in by the little things they mention about each other.

The narrators Kirby Heyborne and Julia Whelan do a fabulous job on the audio. Their voices give Nick and Amy personality, beyond what has been described in the book. Heyborne has the task of portraying a man who proclaims his innocence, but rambles on about the shape of his wife’s head; he seems harmless enough, but did he kill his lovely wife? Heyborne does this very nicely – Nick’s voice is warm, but reasonable, callous but connected – keeping us guessing. Whelan has to dole out Amy to us in her happy-girl voice and the proclamations of true love, and she pitches it perfectly.

This is a superb book, and an even better audiobook. If you are looking for a psychological suspense novel, this is a must-read/listen!