Thursday, August 21, 2014

Six Degrees of Separation: Gone Girl

Kayleigh introduced me to a new bookish meme, 6 degrees of separation. The rules are below, but since I had a little trouble reading them, here are the basics:

Emma and/or Annabella will pick a book and then you have connect that book to...OK, so I just realized there isn't actually a goal you're aiming to get to in the 6 degrees. So just find 5 other books and how they link together

This month (since Kayleigh told me and I found a past 6 degrees that confirm this is a monthly deal which is why this isn't actually late THANK YOU VERY MUCH) the book is Gone Girl. So. Let's do this thing.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a thriller, about terrible people, that it seems like everyone and their mother has read.* So naturally I didn't read this for awhile because I'm a pain in the ass. Hey, you know what's another HUGE book that took me forever to pick up and try, even though I really enjoyed it once I did?

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. And guess what! There are a bunch of terrible people in there too, so double connection. Epic story of epicness and people either being terrible, or just merely doing terrible things to one another, but for lots of REASONS. I've only read the first 2 books of the series. I intend to continue but the books are SO LONG that I need to psych myself up into being in that world for a long time. What's another super long book with a billion characters to try to keep track of?

Under the Dome by Stephen King. It's a King story and sure, it involves supernatural stuff, but that's not where the horror comes from. The dome is the catalyst for people to rise to the occasion or fall to pieces or be raging douchebags. Hey look, more terrible people. The book makes you consider that even if there are malevolent forces fucking with us, aren't people the truly terrible ones? What's another book that leads you to consider are people horrible to the core?

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Kevin perpetrated a shooting at his school. Like the Columbine guys. Actually Kevin is pretty upset with those two, since they staged their attack not long after his and really stole his thunder. We learn the story of what happened through his mother Eva's letters. But of course, Eva may not necessarily be the most reliable narrator. You know what book also features an unreliable narrator (and real asshole?)

American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis.  The unreliable narrator, Patrick Bateman. He's in murders and executions. Or is it mergers and acquisitions? That's what everyone seems to hear. Is everyone just wrapped up in their own world not paying any attention to Patrick? Or is Patrick the one in his own world? I don't have a link for this book. Because I haven't reviewed the book here. Because I read it before I started my blog. And SCREW YOU if you think I'm re-reading it so I can review it. NO. No. No. No. Want to know another book that grossed me out, not quite to American Psycho levels, but close?

Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates. Are you looking for a book from a psycho's point of view full of graphic violence including a transorbital lobotomy? No, because OMG WHO WOULD BE LOOKING FOR THAT? Too bad, you found it anyway. Quentin is trying to make himself a sex slave, Jeffrey Dahmer-style and he is also the first person narrator. So you get to spend lots of time in his head as he does terrible things and justifies all the murders. And he's terrible.

So there we go! From Gone Girl to Zombie and all terrible people. So I guess I found a general theme among the connections.

*As I thought this I realized that wait, I don't think my mother has read this. But I think she'd really enjoy it. So I called her to tell her this. Back to the post!