Exactly how steamy is this story?
R
As Gone Girl's epigraph suggests, love has a downright nasty side. Thus, it's not surprising that sex in this book is pretty nasty itself, and we're not just talking about lewd acts (though there are a few descriptions of those). When these characters engage in adult activities, their actions have very little to do with romance and love and more to do with manipulation and power.
For starters, Nick cheats on Amy with Andie, his twenty-three year old college student. Although their first time in the sack "wasn't that great" (19.64), their subsequent hook-ups range from "very, very good" to "great" (19.67), and after "great," Nick's taken the bait.
While he claims that he wants to divorce Amy to be with Andie full-time, it's doubtful that he actually loves Andie, mainly because she "became a physical counterpoint to all things Amy" (19.67). In other words, he doesn't love Andie—he's just super dissatisfied with Amy, and having a cute young girl claw all over him stokes his ego.
By contrast, while Nick uses sex as an escape from his dying marriage, Amy uses it as a deadly weapon. She frames Tommy O'Hara and Desi for rape, and writes detailed entries in her fake diary that accuse Nick of "sexual relations that border on rape" (47.17). Amy understands the power that victimization can have, particularly when women are the victims, and consequently, knows that accusing someone of sexual assault is a great way to get people to turn in her defense.
This manipulative use of sex really makes up one of Gone Girl's most disturbing elements, as Nick and Amy's views of it reveal their selfish attitudes toward others. Sex is an important player in this book, so we'll go ahead and suggest you don't read this one aloud to your grandma.