So, are Missouri and Kansas as miserable, squalid and bleak as Gillian Flynn portrays them in her novels?

Just read "Gone Girl" and "Dark Places" and damn. Her descriptions make depressed New England/upstate New York towns sound like heaven.

• yes

• Some parts, some times. What did you think?

• All of her novels have a great setup and middle and HORRIBLE follow-through.

• The ending to "Gone Girl" was a bit much. But is that Flynn speaking when a character says how he expected some idyllic area but Missouri was quite ugly?

• I thought "Dark Places" was superior to "Gone Girl" though I get why "GG" was more successful--the twist in the middle is both shocking and fun to discuss, and makes the book more accessible. "DP" is just so grim throughout, and has a main character that's pretty unlikable.

• Pretty awful and the people are usually narrow minded.

• Agreed, R5. "Grim" is definitely the best word for "Dark Places."

• "Gone Girl" was pretty much the worst thing I've read in a long time. A nice idea, but flat, dull prose, and the ending seemed like she simply stopped writing. This is what people want to read?