Gone Girl: 58. Amy, Five Days After the Return Summary & Analysis

Amy is realizing that she needs to be more careful about her husband—Nick is not as “tame” as he used to be. She needs to put one more “spectacular precaution” in place to ensure that he’ll stay in line and meet all of her demands.

Each day since her return, Amy has entertained visits from her parents. They lavish her with careful attention, treating her like a breakable doll, and Nick follows suit, playing along. Amy senses that Nick is about to “burst” with the truth about her—she knows she needs to keep him on her side to keep her story intact. She knows that Boney is itching to arrest her, but is also aware that the cops have earned themselves a reputation for having botched things so badly the first time around that they’ll need something concrete to nail her. Amy has made allowances in her story for the possibility that Jeff and Greta might come nosing around, telling police that Desi kept her tied up in some sort of motel for days. She’s done all she can to discredit anyone who might speak out against her—including Nick.

As the investigation winds down, Amazing Amy sales pick up—Rand and Marybeth have secured a book deal for a new entry in the series, and though Amy is angry that they are once again “squatting on [her] psyche” to earn money, she doesn’t care as much as she used to. Her own phone is ringing off the hook with writers, reporters, and journalists desperate to have Amy tell them her story.

Amy knows that Nick hasn’t fallen back in love with her yet—but has faith that he will. They’re both acting like their old selves, but neither seems to truly believe the other’s charade. In time, Amy thinks, she’ll wear him down—she’ll get him to sleep with her again, hold her again, and she’ll slowly “invade every part of him” like a creeping vine.