Fabulous First Page

This surreal suspense novel pulls you in from page 1

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Hello! Today is another Fabulous First Page showcase! The book I’ve chosen was published in 2023 by Gillian Flynn Books. Yes, that’s right, Gillian Flynn, author of the bestselling thriller Gone Girl, has her own imprint at Zando, an independent publisher whose business model is based on celebrity collaboration. They also have imprints led by Sarah Jessica Parker (not SJP’s first foray into publishing, btw), Lena Waithe, and John Legend.

I’ll be honest, this seemed odd to me at first, but then I learned that Zando is not the first publisher to bring in celebrities. There’s Derek Jeter’s imprint with Simon & Schuster, Johnny Depp’s short-lived imprint with HarperCollins, and Lena Dunham’s imprint at Penguin Random House.

As Zando explains, it’s so hard for authors to get a break these days (tell me about it!), especially as mainstream publishers become more risk-averse. Celebrities can give newer writers a boost, which is something we’ve all seen with the celebrity book club trend.

The celebrity imprint is the same idea as Reese Witherspoon’s or Oprah’s book club: using “household names” to champion authors who might not get attention otherwise. I guess that makes sense. Zando says they want to change “the institutional racism that has plagued American publishing,” and their stated mission is to “spark meaningful cultural conversations” and “reach a devoted new audience of readers.”

I can get behind that. And, in any case, when I heard Gillian Flynn was publishing books, I was pretty excited because Gone Girl is, in my opinion, THE BEST psychological suspense/thriller ever written. Flynn is an incredible writer; I felt I could trust her taste in books. Turns out, I was right.

Because I loved this novel, from the very first page.

Before I reveal the book, I’ll start with a reminder of all the things a first page should try to do:

A first page should:

• Hook the reader right away and invite them into the story.

• Set the scene and the overall tone of the novel.

• Introduce a main character (and/or introduce a main setting or theme).

• Hint at a conflict, situation, mystery/secret, or question.

And now, without further ado, let’s read today’s fabulous first page…