Gone Girl

Amy reveals that she is alive and that she planned her own disappearance. She tells the story of her birth; she is the Elliotts’ sole surviving child after five stillbirths and two miscarriages. She feels special because she was able to make it when all of her sisters didn’t. She describes feeling like a “product” (222) to her parents, however, who gave her all the advantages, except for teaching her how to be happy and connect with people. Amy finds other people baffling.

Next, Amy tells the story of how much Nick loved her, and how she became the “Cool Girl” (222), because that was what he wanted. When she finally revealed who she really was to Nick, he didn’t like her; he wanted the Cool Girl back. That is when the hatred began.

Nick realizes that the clues are taking him to all the places that he cheated on Amy with Andie in and he realizes that Amy knew about the affair. The shed is filled with all the expensive things that Nick swears he didn’t buy with the credit cards he said he didn’t know about. He shows his sister the stuff in the shed; finally, his growing feeling that Amy is framing him is confirmed.

The two of them face Amy’s final “treasure” together: Punch and Judy puppets, with a tiny wooden baby attached to the Judy puppet. Nick and Go soon figure out Amy’s symbolism: Punch kills their baby, and when Judy confronts him about it, he beats her to death. Though Punch gets away with his murders, Amy means for Nick to be punished for the murders he supposedly committed. Oddly, the Judy puppet is missing its handle. Nick finally understands that Amy has framed him for her disappearance and murder.

Amy reveals that she knew about the affair from its beginning. Framing Nick for her murder is her revenge for his affair and her attempt to teach Nick a lesson. She made up all of the evidence to frame Nick, including writing the diary. Diary Amy is a complete fiction.

Amy has been planning this day for a year; she drives away in the car she purchased to hide out in the Ozarks of Missouri. Along the way, she cuts her hair and dyes it a mousy brown color.

She doesn’t feel sorry about hurting her parents because “they made me this way and then deserted me” (238). She resents them for taking her money back, and for allowing her to move away from New York. She believes, “They deserve to suffer too” (238). She accuses Nick of killing her soul by rejecting the “real” (238) her.

Nick calls Tanner Bolt to tell him that Amy is framing him. Tanner tells him that they can discuss it when he gets there the next morning. Go takes a sleeping pill and goes to bed. Andie arrives at the back door at Go’s house once again.

The morning of their anniversary, Nick had been building up the courage to tell Amy that he wanted a divorce, when Amy preempted him by saying that she still loved him and wanted to start over.

Nick tells Andie that he cannot go on with their affair. Andie is furious. She storms out, after biting Nick on the cheek when he tries to stop her from leaving before he can calm her down.

Amy reports that Nick finally got to his father’s house and found the clue Amy left there. She got a call from the alarm company, having reset the alarm and used her own phone number as the emergency contact. She watches her story unfold on Ellen Abbott Live, enjoying the attention and the fuss.

Amy has $10,200 in cash stored in a money belt. She is hiding out at a low-budget motel that has individual cabins. A man named Jeff, who is also staying at the cabins, brings her fish and tries to make friends. Amy accepts the fish. The manager, Dorothy, offers her tomatoes from her garden. Amy is thrilled to watch Nick pilloried in the press. 

Nick explains how Amy has set him up to Tanner Bolt and Go. When Nick is finished, Tanner asks what the clue led to at his father’s house, but Nick never found any “treasure” at his father’s, only the clues.