Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

39 reviews

thereaderfriend's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Loved the suspense, the tension, the unreliability and many plot twists. Even liked the use of unlikable and unredeemable characters in this. Just felt the ending was off so I'm knocking my score for it but it's probably the best thriller I've read. Definitely read the trigger warnings before reading the book. There were a lot. Take heed with them. Tried to get them all but may have missed a few.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, and Blood

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Dementia, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

sarah984's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I didn't know how this book would hold up going into it having already seen the movie, but I had fun. Each (awful) character has a unique voice, and going into it already knowing what's going to happen made me appreciate the careful way the first section was crafted. Unfortunately, after the "reveal" the book drags most of the way through the middle section (way too much mundane day-to-day stuff), and parts of the final third were a little too convenient for me, but I thought the ending was great. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Classism

Incest is alluded to several times but does not actually take place in the story.

levon's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Dementia, Stalking, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

kadtide's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I read the first third of this book many years ago, but it was returned to the library before I got any further and I only just came back to it now. In the years since then the movie came out and I gathered the Big Twist (

that Amy faked her death to punish Nick

) but that did not prepare me for the absolutely bone-chilling narrative.

Gillian Flynn is a brilliant author and this book is incredibly well-crafted. I think I need to sit with it for a little while before I can fully find the words to describe it: haunting, terrifying, beautiful.

Here are the thoughts I have collected thus far:

The first part of the book, we follow Nick through his gradual discovered of What Happened to Amy, and we follow Amy through the years of their relationship leading up to this point, as told via a diary. Both of them are unreliable narrators. Nick's perspective is full of lies of omission, which he outright admits to, so we know he's hiding things from us. And yet, in spite of that, his fear and confusion surrounding Amy's disappearance does not feel like a lie- if it is, it's too well-crafted. The signs pointing to him are too obvious for him to be that clever of a killer. And even without the knowledge that Amy faked her death, Diary Amy still feels off somehow. Her descriptions of Nick don't quite match up with the Nick we see, and Nick's descriptions of her don't match up with how she presents herself. It's hard to know who to trust- which one of them is telling the truth?
This is brilliant, because of how directly it plays into the underlying narrative of public opinion.

In the second part, we meet the real Amy and she's nothing like I expected- cold, calculating, and cruel. She has a vision of what her life should be, what she believes she deserves, and she will destroy anything that gets in her way. We meet the real Amy at the same moment that Nick discovers he's being framed- which is incredibly clever. The book repeats over and over that in this kind of story everyone wants to blame the husband- and we the reader are encouraged during the first part to agree! Even if it doesn't quite seem like he did it, he does seem like an asshole, the way Diary Amy portrays him, and enough of those flaws are present in his POV that you don't really like him that much. But ultimately he isn't the villain of the story, he's the victim.
During part 2, we get to see just how far Amy went to frame him. Her confession to the readers parallels his search for answers, so when he makes seemingly outlandish claims of her framing him, we know he's right. Dramatic irony at it's finest. This is where it gets tense: we watch as Nick falls further and further, unable to pull himself out of the hole Amy's dug for him. And we watch Amy watch him, following her deepest thoughts as she considers changing her plan. The buildup is excruciating, but by the end of part 2 a hopeful ending is in sight- we know Nick planned to lure Amy back to exonerate himself, and it looks like it's working. We also know by now just how terrifyingly evil Amy is, and it's finally starting to seem like she might not get away with it.

And then part 3 happens. This is the shortest part, but in many ways the cruelest. Just when we the readers are led to believe there is hope, that Amy's plot will be publicized and Nick will be saved, it is twisted on us in the worst way. Amy is too clever for that. Amy will never be caught. The rules of the game have changed, but only because Amy wanted them to. She changed her mind- Nick shouldn't be convicted and killed, he should be free to live as her husband and one true love, now that he knows she can destroy him.
And the worst part is? Everyone believes her. This is ultimately what makes the narrative so torturously clever: in part 1 we don't really like Nick; in part 2 we learn that Amy is the true villain and we start rooting for him instead; and in part 3 we watch as everyone in the world (who doesn't see what we see, what Nick sees) takes Amy's side. 

The book tricks you into siding with Amy at the start, just like she tricked Nick (and Hilary, and Tommy, and Desi). But just like she turned on each of them once they weren't what she wanted or got too close, once we see Amy's true face the book turns on us as well.

Amy wins.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, and Fatphobia

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Miscarriage, Vomit, Dementia, and Death of parent

This book is very dark. Gaslighting, abuse, violence (physical, emotional, AND sexual) are major parts of the narrative. It does not have a happy ending:

the main villain gets away with everything she did, and it is implied she is going to kill her main victim.

None of these things are glorified, but many go unpunished within the narrative. Read at your own risk.

roseamillerg's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

sofiaxaguilar's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, and Medical trauma

rosita's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The characters are so unlikeable, i did not enjoy being in their mind set at all. I thought about dnf-ing bc i was so uncomfortable, but the book traps you. I listened to it on audiobook, and every second I was not reading, I was thinking about the book, replaying scenes in my head, wondering what would happen next, I was obsessed. 
If you listen to it on audiobook, I recommend listening in 1.3 speed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Misogyny, and Dementia

Minor: Miscarriage

sarahbuckley's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Stalking, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

lesty_gibbs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It was incredible, I couldn't put it down. However, I needed to watch some comedy's after I finished reading it to restore some light into my soul.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Confinement and Sexual violence