Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
If you've ever been to a big city—especially New York City, where our main characters once lived—you know that the Midwest is about as far from the big city as you can get, and Missouri is abou...
Narrator Point of View
As the protagonist, Nick is this tale's primary storyteller, but Gone Girl isn't your average, everyday first-person narrative. Gillian Flynn actually gives us a twofer—not only do we get Nick's...
Genre
Suspense, secrets, and unsolved crimes all make Gone Girl fit the classic definition of a mystery novel. Still, Gillian Flynn gives the story a modern twist that pushes it outside the genre's box....
What's Up With the Title?
At first glance, it seems like it would be pretty obvious what's up with Gone Girl's title—it's a book about a girl who disappears, which means she's, well, gone. Duh. Maybe that's true, but ther...
What's Up With the Epigraph?
"Love is the world's infinite mutability; lies, hatred, murder even, are all knit up in it; it is the inevitable blossoming of its opposites, a magnificent rose smelling faintly of blood."—Tony K...
What's Up With the Ending?
Gone Girl concludes with Amy awaiting both the birth of her and Nick's child and the release of her Amazing memoir. Nick has become the perfect, cocoa-butter tummy rubbing, food-craving shopping, c...
Tough-o-Meter
Gone Girl is a pretty gripping story, the kind where just one more page easily turns into five more chapters, and in this respect, it's a pretty easy read. Nonetheless, it's filled with psychologic...