In Gone Girl, her third novel, Gillian Flynn creates a mystery-thriller woven with twists, turns, and hidden motives. From the very first page, the reader is introduced to two first-person points of view; a husband-and-wife firsthand account of the novel’s intriguing puzzle. The drama begins on Amy and Nick Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary, when disaster strikes and Amy mysteriously goes missing. The police are called to investigate her disappearance, and soon turn their suspicion towards the seemingly always guilty husband, Nick. And so ensues an elusive game of he-said she-said, vaulting between diary accounts written by Amy, and narration by Nick. Flowing seamlessly between perspectives, Flynn’s writing will give nothing away – until it’s ready to. The solving of this convoluted crime will leave the reader staggered, further reflecting on what soon became more complex and relevant than the average crime story.

And reflecting is exactly what students did during the month of November in Mrs. Lanza’s LitAlive book club. Beginning by sharing personal opinions and experiences with Gone Girl, discussion soon turned to issues regarding gender roles, human nature, and crime; themes reflected throughout the novel. Every student received chances to participate and direct the conversation, which soon went down many different paths. During the month of January, LitAlive will have a meeting revolving around the book Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. Additional information about book club can be found in Mrs. Lanza’s room.