Gone Girl: 50. Amy Elliott Dunne, Twenty-Six Days Gone Summary & Analysis

Amy is growing tired and wary of Desi, who is constantly trying to remind her how safe and loved she is—though she doesn’t feel safe and loved, as she has become his prisoner. She has no way to leave the house, and has begun to fear that Desi’s mother, Jacqueline—who has always hated Amy, and has always been onto her lies—will come up to the lake house and discover her.

Desi comes daily to bring Amy lunch—small portions of fruit and seafood designed to force her to lose the weight she’s gained. Desi has also bought Amy hair dye and all but forced her to dye her hair back to its normal blonde. Desi always couches his demands in a desire for Amy to feel like her best self, so she can’t say anything to push back against him. As the days go by, Desi begins making “threat[s] disguised as concern,” telling Amy that if he ever comes by and finds her gone, he’d go right to the police—for fear that Nick had kidnapped her back. Amy realizes she has underestimated Desi, and has lost control of the situation entirely.