Gone Girl

Image courtesy: Goodreads

Nick and Amy Dunne have it all - a perfect marriage, a house in New York, glamorous lives. Yet after they both lose their jobs unexpectedly, they discover that their relationship is not as strong as it seems. Nick decides to move to his hometown, North Carthage, Missouri to care for his parents - and Amy acquiesces reluctantly. And then, on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears without a trace - and the mounting evidence implicates Nick, his guilt more obvious with each passing day. Did Nick really murder Amy? Or is there a darker, deeper secret behind Amy's disappearance?

It is impossible to talk about this book without giving away key plot points - so fair warning, spoilers ahead! The tagline of the book reads 'There are two sides to every story' - and that is exactly how the book is structured. The two sides of the story - Nick's story, starting with the morning of Amy's disappearance, and Amy's story, by means of extracts from her journal going back seven years.  Even in his own narration, Nick comes across as a self-absorbed, selfish person - and his web of lies is alarming. Struggling with his feelings about his misogynist, abusive father, trying not be like him - Nick seems to be the most comfortable when being adored and indulged by the women in his life - his mother and his twin sister, the weirdly nick-named Go, are his biggest fan club.

Amy's journal - starting with her meet-cute with Nick and their subsequent falling in love seven months later to an entry few days before her disappearance claiming she is afraid that Nick may kill her - is a portrayal of a marriage gone terribly wrong. Although not entirely blameless - a little too needy, trying too hard to be the perfect wife - Amy still seems to be the only person really working at this marriage. And following Nick's mom's death, Nick seems to morph into an unfeeling, uncaring monster, his behavior bordering precariously on domestic violence. Having used his wife's money to set himself and his twin sister up in business, Nick resents his wife for helping him - and his unnaturally calm composure after Amy's disappearance is highly suspicious.

And then, wham! Part 2 begins with the shocking realization that everything the reader has learnt about Nick and Amy may not be entirely true! Amy is alive and well and has hatched a diabolical scheme to frame her husband for her own murder - a year of planning including writing seven year's worth of fake diary entries!! What??!!! All those fuzzy 'Dear Diaries' are a setup!! And Nick's secret? No surprises there - he's been having an affair with a woman 10 years younger than him, and he was planning to ask Amy for a divorce on the day she disappeared!! How's that for motive?? To complete the picture of Amy as a sociopath, we are introduced to a couple of people from her past who she has 'punished' for not living upto her expectations!!

Then, the author seems to forget that she has built up Amy as a super-intelligent, savvy woman - and puts her in situations that are absolutely ridiculous! Seriously, when you are in hiding while pretending to be dead, you do not befriend the people staying at your lonely bed-and-breakfast, you do not flash your fat money-belt when you're with them and then you don't let these 'friends' into your room, so that they can rob you without even a struggle! Dumb, dumb, dumb! And then after Nick figures out he's being framed, his master plan to find Amy? He goes on national TV, and accepts his guilt, accepts that he is a scumbag, and would Amy please, please forgive him and come back, so that he could make it up to her? And you know what - it works! Amy sees the interview, melts into a puddle, and decides to return - not before she casually destroys someone else's life! So then, is she a brilliant sociopath or is she a complete idiot - very confusing!!

Nick and Amy are probably the worst ever book characters I have ever met - and while the book was compelling enough to keep reading, I simply could not find it in me to root for either of them. Their problems are the problems of the self-centered, entitled, affluent and bored people - lost your job, well suck it up, and stop whining about the big, bad Internet, Nick! Too fancy for the solid middle-class with their casseroles and wall-to-wall carpets - well, guess what, Amy, not everyone has a trust fund and a brownstone in New York with a view of the river!! And please, how can you not know how much a gallon of milk costs - oblivious much?? I just cannot decide which of them disgusted me more!!

As for the ending, it was way too ambiguous and vague for me - a non-ending is what it is. So after all the cheating, lying, scheming, framing, killing and whatnot - we're expected to believe that Amy and Nick are settling into cozy parenthood - "on the eve of becoming the world's best, brightest nuclear family"!! Suddenly, the sleaze bag Nick is holier-than-thou, sticking it out with his "psycho bitch wife" for the sake of his baby? What kind of father does he imagine he's going to be? Ooh, he gave up his girlfriend, and he's taking care of his pregnant wife - let's give him a halo, and 'Husband of the Year' while we're at it!! Did not like the ending. At all.

The book is a psychological thriller - and it is a nail-biting read - but it will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. I like Flynn's style of writing - could have done with a little less of the smutty talk, though. Her language is very descriptive, very visual - and the plot for the most part, is tautly written. Of course, a fast-paced crime novel like this one literally screams 'Film adaptation' - will be very interesting to see how this nasty story plays out on the big screen!! I'm still not completely sure if I would recommend this - read it if the genre appeals to you - it's definitely not Happy Reading!!

PK (2014)

Another December, another blockbuster release starring Aamir Khan - only after the Dhoom 3 debacle of last year, I wasn't really sure what to expect from PK. Other than Aamir, the big draw of PK was the director - Rajkumar Hirani - who in the last few years has turned into Bollywood's self-appointed social conscience - coining phrases like 'jadoo ki jhappi', 'All izz well' and my favorite, 'Gandhigiri'! Hirani's films are entertainers with a message - and the last outing of this director-actor duo, 3 Idiots, broke all kinds of records - will PK live up to the hype?

A spaceship lands in the dusty desert of Rajasthan, and a wide-eyed alien steps onto the Earth, his only adornment a flashy remote around his neck - which is stolen by the very first human he encounters. Without the remote, he cannot summon his spaceship, and he is stranded on a planet alien to him, with no means of communication or support. And so begins his quest - to retrieve his remote, and to return home. His search brings him to Delhi, and when told by a number of people that only God can help you now - he very literally begins to search for the seemingly elusive 'God' that would return his remote.

Meanwhile in Belgium, an Indian student, Jagatjanini, or Jaggu (Anushka) falls in love with a Pakistani, Sarfarash (Sushant). Their relationship founders on the rocks on religion and parental disapproval, and Jaggu returns to Delhi, nursing a broken heart. On assignment as a television reporter, Jaggu encounters PK on the Delhi Metro, handing out 'Missing - call if seen' leaflets - she is intrigued when she sees that these leaflets have pictures of various Gods on them. Sensing a story, she tracks down PK, and soon becomes a part of his incredible journey. Where do they find the remote? Will PK be able to go home? Will Jaggu be reunited with Sarfarash? Watch the movie to find out...

Just like Dhoom 3, PK is Aamir's film through and through - and just like Dhoom 3, his performance left me cold. The wide-staring eyes, the odd body language, jerky hand gestures - it's all too much, there is no subtlety - every scene screams, "Look at me, I'm an alien, I'm different, I can get away with anything!"!! Even the Bhojpuri dialect - I understand the logic - but really, it feels like Lagaan is being channeled here - especially when PK talks about different planets as gola - if I closed my eyes, it could be Bhuvan exhorting his team-mates to catch the gola! Truly Missing - the charming, natural Aamir Khan that wooed an entire nation!!

As for Anushka, I have to admit that she's never been one of my favorites - and while she does stay in character as Jaggu, she is little more than a glorified side-kick - even Munnabhai's Circuit had a meatier role. Sushant Singh exudes sincerity and boyishness - who wouldn't fall for him? I think I totally missed the point of Sanjay Dutt's character - sentimental casting, maybe? The other cast, too, is a motley of usual suspects from other Hirani films - Saurabh Shukla's self-serving Godman seems to be an extension of his role from Lage Raho, and he brings no additional menace or cunning, which I think was sorely needed.  But Jaggu's parents - Farhan's dad and Raju's mom - together??!! I appreciate Hirani's loyalty - but the mix-and-match cast is very distracting.

The best parts of the film show PK learning to live by the standards of society - whether it is stealing clothes from 'dancing cars', to trying to understand the intricacies of currency - it is quite funny to see PK collecting pictures of Gandhiji, and then use them to buy food! Stealing from the temple donation boxes, and pasting pictures of Gods on his face so that people won't hit him, and using a cycle lock to chain his chappals at the temple - all very delightful, the jabs are all light-hearted. Of course, with such a weighty theme - the search for God - the metaphysical is not too far away!

Inevitably, there is comparison with Paresh Rawal's OMG. With all its eye-opening questions, OMG remains a deeply religious film - PK comes across as merely irreverent. The questions are all over the place - for example, what is the point in highlighting that white is worn both by Hindu widows and Christian minorities? That seems to be more of a social tradition, rather than anything religious. And while OMG denounced various religious traditions - PK seems to be questioning the very existence of God. I don't think that was the intentional message, and PK's search was meant to symbolize the true spiritual search of God. What comes across is a petty pointing of fingers, which is quite distasteful.

Hirani also seems to have a very cynical view of our society and people in general. Starting with the initial scenes - naive as it may seem, I would like to believe that a person who comes upon a naked and clearly lost human being in the desert, would stop and provide succor, rather than rob the helpless person of his only possession. Or the whole setup with the tickets to the show - it's a meet-cute for Anushka and Sushant, but it also shows an elderly gentleman cheating these two, and what makes is worse is the way Anushka berates the said elderly gentleman. No, I am a firm believer in the best of people, and these characterizations make me uneasy - we're casually accepting irresponsible, bad behavior as the norm?

And the protests? Really, people, what is so threatening about this film? In one of the best and truest lines of the film, roughly paraphrasing PK - Are our Gods so weak that they need our puny protection? The demonstrations actually work in the film's favor - the controversy increases curiosity and interest, leading to bigger collections. Take away the hype and the big names, this is a very mediocre film. Watch ET instead - that little alien still has the power to bring tears to my eyes with his 'ET go home'!!