Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

               Gone Girl is one of those books that had me gripped pretty much from page one. The pacing was perfect, the book never dragged and the story was immensely gripping! However, as the story progressed, I found that Flynn had failed to find a revelation/conclusion exciting enough to match the suspense she had built up over the course of the book (much like JJ Abrams disastrous conclusion to Lost!).

                The plot, after a page turner of a first half that introduced us to a tense mystery and the enigma that was Amy Dunne, totally fell flat once we we're finally introduced to her. Not only is it far fetched and excessive that a woman (even an embittered one) would go through those lengths simply to take revenge on an unfaithful husband, its self absorbed (another big issue I had with most of the characters) and unnecessary considering all she got out of it was his misery. To put it simply, I didn't feel like theirs was a story that needed to be told. There was nothing that really came out of it. None of the characters underwent any development, both of them remained just as self absorbed and pretentious as they started out and both of them went back to their farce of a marriage and sleepy Carthage (and America eventually) probably forgot all about Nick and Amy and went back to their monotonous lives! 

                   I like that Flynn obviously has enough command over her characters that she can sway our opinion of them fairly drastically depending on the perspective of the narrator. My sympathies were constantly oscillating between Amy and Nick (Although by the end of it I was quite fed up with both of them) and I was sold on pretty much every version of themselves (and eachother) that they served up! What I didn't like however is that there was not a single even vaguely likable character in the entire book. One could argue that Flynn meant for it to be that way, that she was making some sort of statement on American Society or some such thing but personally speaking, If a book doesn't have a character that I can relate to or at least sympathize with, I find it hard to be invested in the story. 

                I hated Nick for his working class cynicism and excessive pragmatism, I hated Amy for her rich-kid wide eyed optimism. Both of them clearly spent their youth believing that they had some sort of higher purpose, that the world had something special in store for them and were pissed off and disheartened when they realized that there youth had slipped away and there wasn't any sign of a purpose or destiny. The went into their marriage looking not for a partner or soul mate (or whatever its expected one looks for in a marriage) but for a story for which both of them were looking for a different angle.

               There were some things that I liked about Flynn's writing. Her attention to detail, her ability to spin the most realistically drab environments. I loved how irritatingly sleepy and typical Carthage was, I liked how thoroughly romanticized New York was and I liked the almost eerie tranquility of Desi's chateau. I was thrilled at her ability to put into clever, concise words emotions and ideas that I struggled to describe even vaguely! 

   All in all, I found Gone Girl to be a fun, quick, exciting read although utterly pointless.   

-- Chymus

Book Review : Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

             It may be tempting to put the book down after glimpsing the first couple of pages, convinced that it's written in gibberish. Persevere through a couple of chapters, however, and it'll cease to feel

like you're groping in the dark for some form of comprehension. This book is written in the phonetics of an Edinburgh dialect, and not, as is the case with Anthony Burgess' 'A Clockwork Orange', in a whole new form of the English language (nadsat). So even though it is about twice as long, it isn't as overwhelming.

            The very charm of the book is, in fact, the unique narrative style. It's written in first person perspective, from the points of view of different characters. Every individual has a distinctive style of talking that brings out their characteristics - their personality type, region of birth, thought process, sex ( I was really taken by the accuracy and depth in the narration of the points of view of a few female characters- although some people may disagree) and even their level of education. By doing this, Welsh has acquainted reader with character to an astonishing degree. The first time you notice this, is upon realising that with each chapter change, it isn't immediately mentioned whose point of view the narration is from, yet you know (or atleast can quite accurately guess) which character is being written about. This, more than anything, develops the atmosphere of the story.

                  What is the storyline though? It's secondary. The plot line (or absence of one) follows the lives of a group of heroin addicts and their various acquaintances in Edinburgh, with each thread crossing another as their paths meet. The emphasis of the book seems to be on character development, and the equations between each couple, family, friend group, rival - you name it. It's as if the writer knew them personally, and shared a slice of their lives. The instances described throughout the book are challenging - be prepared to abandon all inhibitions regarding your ideas of morality, ethics, and an altogether repulsive way of life. Most of the exchanges will leave you stunned, and that is probably the point. Welsh keeps it real, laying bare the wretchedness of a world that is too often swept under the rug. Free of pretences, each page reeks with defiance, sardonic introspection, and dark humour.

                And it grows on you. The characters are not without compassion and - in some form - of loyalty. As you begin to accept the grim reality of the life they (or the world around them) have chosen for themselves, it's not difficult to appreciate their brand of wit and friendship.You begin to see really why they each tolerate people like Frank Begbie, for example. The book provides some much needed perspective on the lives of junkies. Revolting though some of them may seem, they're not so bad once you get to know them - that is assuming, of course, you're willing to look past the rampant violence, abuse and adultery.