Twists, Turns, and WTF Moments
Welcome back to Part 2 of my rant series on Gone Girl—AKA the worst psychological thriller ever. In Part 1, I covered the set-up and the first half of the book: : Nick’s baffling behavior, Amy’s diary entries, and that creepy treasure hunt that had me almost fooled into thinking this book was going to be brilliant.
But nope. Gone Girl is about to prove me wrong—spectacularly wrong.
If you haven’t read Part 1 of this rant yet, stop now and check it out here. Or if you’re just here to watch me descend further into madness, then buckle up! Because Part 2 of Gone Girl is where things really go off the rails.
DISCLAIMER: As usual, I’m about to spoil everything. If you don’t want the biggest twist in the book ruined, now’s your last chance to escape. But if you’re here for the WTF moments, grab some popcorn. This is going to be a wild clobbin’ ride!
WTF Moment #1: THE BIG REVEAL
So, I’m reading along, halfway through the book, thinking I’ve got it figured out. Nick’s an idiot, Amy’s probably dead, and I’m waiting for the “clever twist” to be that Nick actually did kill her, and this whole thing is a character study in how sociopaths operate.
But what does Gillian Flynn do instead? She drops one heck of a bombshell: AMY IS ALIVE.
Let me repeat that for those in the back. Amy is. Still. Alive. This woman has been alive this entire time, playing the long game like she’s the mastermind of some villainous Scooby-Doo episode.
And not only is she alive, but she’s the one who set Nick up. That’s right—everything was a twisted, psychotic revenge plan to frame Nick for her murder because he cheated on her.
And here’s the kicker—Amy isn’t just alive. She’s a full-on psychopath. In one of the most chilling narrations I’ve ever read, she goes through her entire plan, step by step, on how she made Nick look guilty, from staging the crime scene to planting all the “evidence” in their house.
But that wasn’t enough for Amy. She has to make sure Nick suffers. All those diary entries from Part 1? FAKE. She made them up to paint Nick as an abusive husband. It was all a part of her master plan, carefully crafted over a year to destroy him.
This woman fakes her own murder, frames her husband, and has the nerve to act like she’s proud of herself! I’m honestly scared crapless of how far Amy went in the name of revenge. Who the clob has this much energy for vengeance?!
Amy then runs off and hides in a cabin.
Now, here’s my issue. This twist should be mind-blowing, right? But Flynn doesn’t commit to the implications of this twist in a way that makes it work. She sets up an intriguing premise but doesn’t fully follow through.
Keep this in mind as you read the rest of this post—and the series.
BACK TO NICK
So, what has Nick been up to, I wonder, ever since he found what he and everyone else in this world thinks is Amy’s dead body?
First of all, the cops are ALL over Nick. Thanks to Amy’s perfectly laid-out trap, Nick looks guilty as clob. There’s the suspicious smile at the press conference, the late gift, and oh yeah—THE MISTRESS. And what does Nick do when the noose starts tightening around his neck?
He continues to make STUPID decisions. Like, Nick, buddy, you have a dead/missing wife and a trail of lies as long as a CVS receipt. Maybe stop seeing your 23-year-old student mistress right about now? But does he stop? Nooooo. He just keeps sneaking around with Andie, who is eventually sick of his disgusting BS (took you long enough).
At this point, the media’s eating him alive, his lawyer, Tanner Bolt, who Amy’s parents are not happy that he hired, telling him to lay low and break up with Andie gently (does Nick listen to all of this? No, but what else is new?), and the cops are closing in with actual evidence, like Amy’s staged pregnancy. But instead of acting like a smart human being, Nick doubles down on his I’m totally innocent, trust me energy—while STILL seeing Andie!
THE BRIGHT SIDE
However, Nick starts piecing things together. He’s no longer just a clueless idiot. He starts reading Amy’s treasure hunt clues more carefully, thinking about all the weird things she did before disappearing. Slowly, he realizes the truth: Amy framed him.
When Nick finally figures out that Amy’s alive and planned everything, his character takes a turn. He knows she’s out there, watching his every move, waiting for him to slip up. And suddenly, Nick becomes…kind of a genius.
He decides to fight back. Finally, FINALLY, this guy seems to get a clue that maybe—just maybe—he should take this whole situation seriously. I’m thinking: “Okay, Nick, maybe now you’ll redeem yourself.”
Nick’s next move is to try and out-Amy Amy. Which, if we’re being honest, is laughable because nobody can out-Amy Amy. Still, I’m glad he’s at least trying to turn the tables.
Nick goes on a media blitz. He suddenly realizes that public perception is everything, and since Amy has been framing him as the heartless, cheating husband, Nick decides to play the role of heartbroken husband in the media. So, Nick starts crafting his own narrative—going on national TV, crying his eyes out, begging for Amy’s safe return.
It’s almost genius…except for the part where Nick’s been an idiot this whole book, and now I have to suddenly believe he’s smart enough to play psychological chess with his wife?
Yeah, okay. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Nick isn’t suddenly a perfect hero. But at least now he has a strategy.
WTF Moment #4: THE PART OF THE STORY THAT BREAKS THE WHOLE DYNAM PLOT
Last but not least, I need to break down Amy’s plan so far and how much it has changed over this last part of the story:
1.Frame Nick, get him arrested,
2. Live off some cash and eventually sign up for a booze cruise to—wait for it—kill yourself.
Yeah, I know. A bit of a downer. At this point, I’m starting to wonder why we’re even getting Amy’s perspective. Lucky for me, her plan doesn’t stay this depressing. Yet.
Amy’s next brilliant move? Get more money because she realizes the original plan sucks. Enter Jeff and Greta—sketchy new “friends” who decide to rob her.
After one scuffle, they steal Amy’s cash, and Amy, the supposed psychopath mastermind, doesn’t fight back because she’s, and I quote, “scared of getting hurt.”
Excuse me, but THIS is the same woman who just framed her husband for murder? Who has been narrating this sociopathic masterclass? Suddenly she’s too scared to defend herself from two lowlifes? Flynn, what is happening here?
What makes it even worse it’s that she doesn’t even try to go after them at any point during the rest of the story.
This may be a small nitpick (BS), but it made me terrified for how Amy was going to be going forward.
And boy was I right.
Strike TWO
A couple of days later, Amy decides to call her ex-boyfriend Desi for help. He gladly accepts and for about two days, Amy tries to get cash from him. But unfortunately, Desi gives Her a lot more than what she was asking. She starts to feel very stifled very quickly.
But the turning point of all this discomfort happens when she watches Nick’s interview with Sharon. She sees Nick wearing what she gave to him, but also saying the words she wants him to say.
So…she decides to return to him!
For the love of Gatsby, Flynn. I know that Gone Girl is supposed to be your spin on the classic romance story.
HOWEVER, given what Nick and Amy know about each other, and what we, the audience, know about BOTH of these two clobbed-up people, it doesn’t make a LICK of sense, especially on Amy’s side!
Amy is supposed to be this smart, manipulative character, and yet it takes one interview where Nick just says the words it needs to hear, and she is WILLING TO TAKE HIS ABASTOL BACK?!
Unbelievable.
STRIKE THREE
So what does she do with Desi thirty days later, before she comes crawling back to Nick?
She participates in a…steamy activity with him and poisons his martini with sleeping pills.
I was so uncomfortable and angry she did this, I barely read or listened to this part.
Like, obviously, Desi is a loose end, and she has to work him into her story, somehow. It shows her twisted version of intelligence.
SO WHY DIDN’T SHE GO AFTER THE TWO WHO TOOK HER MONEY BEFORE SHE WENT TO DESI?!
Final Thoughts on Part 2: The WTF Rollercoaster
You see what I mean by this part breaking the entire story and not commiting to its own clobbin’ twist?
Everything I thought I knew about this book got flipped upside down. Amy went from a sweet, wronged wife to the most diabolical, confusing character I ever heard in fiction. Nick, who I couldn’t stand in the beginning, is now the guy I’m rooting for because his wife is a legit psychopath who’s actually going back to him.
Part 2 is like watching a soap opera where every character makes increasingly insane choices, and you just can’t look away.
And the craziest part? Part 3 somehow makes this disaster even worse.
Next up, I’ll break down that ending. You thought this was bad? Oh, just wait.
Key Writing Takeaways:
- Plan your major plot twists so they are both shocking and well-foreshadowed.
- Keep the tension rising by putting your characters in increasingly difficult situations.
- Develop CONSISTENT characters who are active participants in their fate—whether they’re victims or masterminds.”
Coming up next: Part 3 – The Ending That Made Me Lose My Mind
Because if you think Gone Girl couldn’t possibly get worse, you’re wrong. Stay tuned.
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