Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Does the ending of this book leave you a) wishing you hadn't read it in the first place; b) asking, "where's the resolution?" c) feeling thoroughly unsatisfied; or d) all of the above. Answer: d Think of a life experience you've had that started great only to bomb out at the end. Like a promising date that was going really well--only to be ruined by a nasty argument at the end of the evening. You go to bed feeling empty, unfulfilled. That's what reading this novel was like for me. Starts great, quickly becomes a can't-put-it-down page turner, then completely fizzles at the end, leaving you unsatisfied with the novel's lack of resolution. That said, I agree with most of the positive comments about the book: "Fiendishly clever," "Totally engrossing," Gripping and addictive." "Well-plotted," etc. Does Gillian Flynn have excellent writing chops? Does she masterfully develop psychologically complex, multidimensional characters? Present penetrating insights into the nature of modern marriage and relationships? Write pitch-perfect dialog? Absolutely. She just needs to learn how to finish. Develop resolution. One thing Flynn might want to learn to use to her advantage in future novels is the "recency effect," which simply states that the last thing you see or experience in a given situation or event is more accessible in your memory, and therefore more likely to be remembered by you then those things that occurred in the beginning or middle of the experience. Given the novel's lack of resolution and totally unsatisfying ending, the last thing I remember about the book is my feeling of utter disappointment.