Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn - cover imageI once had a very good friend. This very good friend, it turned out, wasn’t who I’d thought she was. My discovery of this pesky detail – of her lies and deceptions and manipulations – is the defining heartache of my adult life to this point.

I’m over it, now. But reading Gone Girl, the new thriller by Gillian Flynn, teased me about it. It made me think, as I read, of my own experience of shock and dismay when I discovered the reality of my relationship with my no-longer friend.

Gone Girl is about complex people and complicated relationships. It’s awesome. And it’s an addictive story. And I can’t say much more about it without spoiling it.

So I’ll push aside the bit about the compelling story triggering my fragile bullshit, and I’ll switch to a part of the book that made me laugh out loud.

As background, I’ll tell you that I lived in Delaware for four years in my early twenties, and there are few places I loathe more. I say this understanding that you, dear reader, may live in Delaware, so know I don’t say it lightly, and I don’t say it to offend you, and I apologize if it does. But for real, I hate that place and I was miserable there.

On page 39 of Gone Girl, the character Amy writes this in her diary (note that she lived in New York):

We do silly things, like last weekend we drove to Delaware because neither of us have ever had sex in Delaware. Let me set the scene, because now it really is for posterity. We cross the state line–Welcome to Delaware!, the sign says, and also: Small Wonder, and also: The First State, and also: Home of Tax-Free Shopping.

Delaware, a state of many rich identities.

And I snorted. Because when I read the first part (Welcome to Delaware!), I thought “Small Wonder!”, and then I proceeded to think the other slogans before my eyes flitted to her actually having written them. That’s how it really is in Delaware, see. The laundry list of rich identities shouted from the road sign on the other side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, alerting you to the fact that if you’re just passing through on your drive down I-95, you’ll be spending the next twenty minutes of your drive in an absolutely fascinating place. Or so the slogan-adopters of Delaware want you to believe.

You might think this is dumb, but this wee bit of page 39 made me certain I would love this book. And though the ending didn’t really sit right with me, perhaps for how quick it is but certainly not because I think it was a bad ending, I did love it. It thoroughly entertained me.

That is, when I wasn’t plagued by the heavy shit it made me think about in my own life.

So. Delaware!

This post is inspired by mystery thriller GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn. They may not have the perfect marriage, but after Amy goes missing, Nick becomes the number one suspect. Can he discover what happened before it’s too late? Join From Left to Write on June 12 as we discuss Gone Girl. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.
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shana lee hampton

i finished reading gone girl on friday. i had a similar experience reading it and the ending made me itchy. so yeah, delaware.

Thien-Kim Lam

My girlfriend tried to get me to move to Delaware. Nope, no way.

Rachee

Delaware is very close to PA and the draw is always Tax free shopping. I guess it’s time to take a trip.

Neena

I wasn’t a fan of the ending either.  I just expected something…more.  

Tzynya L. Pinchback

I really disliked the ending. The anti-climax caused me to bolt up. However, I’m considering now that the last two lines on the last page is a note to the reader that it’s all about to happen again.

Shannon

I chuckled at that part, too. I’ve never lived there but I’ve visited several times. For the shopping. And to see friends.

Karen @ Time Crafted

I know I’ve at least driven (or been driven, as I was a kid) through Delaware, but that’s about all I know about that.  And I’m thinking it may be all I need to now!

Love how a book can bring back both the heart wrenching and obscure memories we store.

Joy

I, too, was fascinated by this book; in a really creepy you don’t really know who people are kind of way.

reapermyer

I been looking for like 20 mins to get a summary of this book so i dont have to read it but i know what happens haha. Where can i go to read a few paragraphs about it so i know what happen beginning middle and end?

Cynthia Harman Horn

I have to disagree. I spent my whole life in Delaware until 2 years ago. There’s no place on earth I’d rather be than back home. Sorry you had such a bad experience.

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