This mystery thriller is proof positive to me that I am out of touch with the mainstream of the reading public. It has reportedly sold more hardback copies than any other adult book ever. It has thousand of 5-star reviews on the Amazon and Goodreads websites. It is soon to be a Major Motion Picture. But I cannot share the enthusiasm. I would give this book a grade of C at the best. What is wrong with people?
Here are some of the reasons I am astounded that people like this book.
The story is told through the interior monologues of three first-person female narrators. Admittedly that is a tricky proposition for any writer, as it would be necessary that each narrator be given a distinctive voice for the format to be effective. Hawkins does not do that, not at all. All three narrators sound exactly the same. For me, this is the major flaw.
The solution as to the identity of the murderer is obvious early in the book because of the author's deliberate withholding of the name of the lover of the murdered woman in her stream-of-consciousness account of the events leading to her death.
Not one character is sympathetic; all are despicable. While it is true that some excellent novels feature unsympathetic characters, they substitute with characters who are interesting and complex. You will find none of that here.
The grammar is shaky and the sentence construction is awkward and amateurish.
Hawkins has shamelessly capitalized on the extreme popularity of the novel Gone Girl, including her use of an unreliable narrator and her inclusion of "girl" in the title. By the way, why call women in their mid-to-late twenties "girls"? Could it possibly be because of the immense popularity of writer Stieg Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tatoo and its sequels? In case you haven't read those, do so and see how much better they are than this effort.
So why did so many people love this book? I can't figure it out. I just don't know.
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