The Chaperone vs. Gone Girl

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Chaperone vs. Gone Girl

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn are excellent books with remarkable characters.   This is a tough match between a loveable protagonist in a historical fiction novel and one very wicked woman in a psychological thriller.  

The author of The Chaperone, Laura Moriarty, lives in Kansas the setting of the novel and writes with a lyrical style.  The writing flows and readability is one of its strength. There is a huge attention to historical details with an impressive bibliography at the end of the book.  It was obvious that the author researched Louise Brooks, the orphans trains, and Kansas history.  Cora Carlisle cares about her family, friends and even nasty Louise and the tone of the book is optimistic and heartwarming.  I am a fan of Laura Moriarty – her writing is lovely and there is always a solid substance to her novels. This escape to the past offers insight and reflection on how far we have traveled in the tolerance of birth control, homosexuality, unwed mothers and illicit sex.

Forging ahead to the contemporary world where bright people lose jobs and parents ruin the lives of their children, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a hot novel. It is easy to find fault with success and let the little guy win.

Gillian Flynn is a master of manipulation. Her skillful surgery of the minds of the characters and their motivations fascinates me. The careful pacing flips the pages.  The structure of alternating viewpoint chapters between Nick Dunne and Amy Elliott, the conniving couple, serve to confuse and misguide. Although one can view it as a Scott Turow look alike or as a carbon copy of an episode of Law and Order I believe strongly in its uniqueness.  Who is the bad guy develops into how low everyone can go. The ending is outstanding in its irony.  While I detested most of the characters in the book I was enthralled with their thought processes.

 I tend to follow most fiction fans and favor likable characters over unreliable ones. Cora Carlisle, the protagonist in The Chaperone  is a likable, strong, empathetic character, who rises above all obstacles Although Cara experienced hardship in her early years I felt that her life of lies worked out a little too picture perfect. Amy Elliott in Gone Girl is psychopathic, hateful, mean, manipulative, murderous, vicious, and damaged goods. Yet her mind and Nick’s are so intriguing. Welcome to the real world.

Sinners win over Saints.  Strength of writing, plot development and the structure of a novel control this contest.

WINNER: GONE GIRL BY GILLIAN FLYNN