Gone Girl: How much of a True Crime is it?

 Hello folks! Welcome back to another blog. This is again for an academic purpose, but thankfully we are dealing with something interesting. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my area of interest in terms of content consumption of any kind, it is of the Crime genre. Keeping that in mind, we are going to delve into a criminal analysis of the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and take a look at the involvement of true crime in the fictional world.

One of the most chilling aspect of the story is that it is inspired by true events, the real-life story of Laci and Scott Peterson. This revelation was made by Gillian Flynn during a 2012 interview. The book is a rather entertaining read, however, it does make you wonder about what goes on in the head of the writer as the intricacy and attention given to criminal detail and sequencing the storyline is commendable.

The book is divided into several chapters that interchange between the experiences of the characters Nick Dunne and Amy Dunne, giving us a glimpse of both perspectives. The writing takes rather disturbing turns, making it creepier by the minute. The resemblance of the story by Gillian Flynn to that of the disappearance and death of Laci Peterson around sixteen years ago can definitely be recognized.

Gone Girl tells the tale of Amy Dunne, who goes missing on the morning of her fifth wedding anniversary, leaving her not-so-sad husband Nick Dunne to face the consequences. As the events unfold, we see Nick becoming the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife and we also see events leading up to the present scenarios and forward. The moment things get out of hand, we are posed with questions and doubts every step of the way.

The fictional elements mirror the true crime that inspired the tale. The wife who is eight months pregnant is missing and the husband is oddly calm for the turn of events. It is discovered that he is having an affair and is taken up as a prime suspect. Despite being well off at the beginning of their journey, Scott experiences financial struggles and he uses Laci’s health insurance to cover for it. He showed infidelity and began an affair with a woman named Amber who was unaware of the fact that Scott was married to Laci. On discovering the missing case, she immediately informed the detectives in charge of the case, getting Scott arrested.  

In April 2003, a male foetus and a body with parts missing were discovered at a location that was recorded to be the place where Scott went fishing and the body was identified to be that of Laci. Scott Peterson was hence arrested and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife Laci Peterson and death of their unborn child.

Gillian Flynn however, added her own flavour to the tale, making a remarkable impression on the Crime genre and creating a masterpiece of a twisty-turner. A recommended read from my side for anyone who would like to indulge in a moment of crooked crime. 

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Until next time, stay Safe, Healthy and Awesome.

CIAO.