As soon as Gone Girl was published in 2012 and made into a film in 2014, eager fans were on the lookout for more gripping literature.

It's one of those rare books where the majority of the characters are completely unlikable by the end of the story because they are so flawed. Gone Girl falls into this category. A missing inquiry involving Nick's wife Amy leads to the conclusion that Nick is the murderer.

That Amy planned the whole thing turns the one character you can sympathize with into a villain, and even while you're outraged by the extent she goes to in order to frame Nick, the chapters from Amy's point of view are fascinating and one can't help but be drawn by her intentions.

Novels that focus on characters like Nick, who the reader can't help but despise for his sleazy cheating, and Amy, a plainly psychotic, are some of the greatest out there.

Aside from the fact that some of the characters in these books are more flawed than others, some are downright evil, and others are scarred by their pasts, each protagonist in these books is what makes the story as a whole so compelling.

Books like Gone Girl

The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn

A.J. Finn examines the intriguing fear known as agoraphobia in his novel The Woman in the Window. Although the protagonist is not a bad guy, she is a woman who made a terrible mistake and paid a terrible price for it. This is a thriller in the vein of Gone Girl.

Anna Fox is a child psychologist who is now confined to her house by her own mind owing to some previously unknown trauma. Anna's hobbies include watching old movies, getting very drunk, and spying on her neighbors.

It is through her friendship with Jane and Ethan Russell, the family that moves next door, that Anna establishes a link to the outside world. As a result of what she witnesses in the Russells' home, Anna is forced to face her anxieties. But is it too late?

Even though Anna isn't a bad person, she makes a number of critical errors throughout the story that make her a difficult protagonist to root for; at times, you find yourself yelling at her to do something or not put her trust in someone.

Although the reader may not fully understand Anna, just like in Gone Girl with Nick and Amy, there is a desire nevertheless to discover where her narrative ends.

The Post-Birthday World, by Lionel Shriver

The Post-Birthday World is hardly a thriller, but it is well-written and there is a desire to know how the story ends.

With her newfound interest in another guy who is not her longtime partner, Irina begins to live two lives: one with her safe, but rather monotonous boyfriend Laurence and the other with the thrilling snooker player Ramsey.

Throughout the book, Irina experiences both the rewards and the drawbacks of her choices, illustrating that the grass isn't always greener elsewhere.

Lying in Wait, by Liz Nugent

Liz Nugent excels at inventing people that you despise yet can't shake. In some respects, novels with main characters like these are like a breath of fresh air because of their cruelties and flaws. Constantly cheering for the underdog can become tiresome and trite.

This thriller follows the Fitzsimons, a well-to-do family who become embroiled in the investigation of a bizarre murder. Even though Lydia and her husband make every effort to protect their secret from their son, the events surrounding the tragic death of Annie Doyle are finally revealed, and the Fitzsimon family's ability to live a normal life is severely compromised as a result.

Her sole fear is that she will be caught one day. Lydia is the perfect villain. She feels no regret or shame about what she has done. If she wasn't as vicious as she is in the tale, it wouldn't be nearly as pleasant to read.

Like in Gone Girl, you know it's terrible to support Amy, but you can't help yourself because you know the tale will end if she's caught. When you're halfway through a book like Lying in Wait, you just want it to go on forever.

A Ladder to the Sky, by John Boyne

The characters in Adrian McKinty's novel, The Chain, are unlikable. Even Rachel, the book's protagonist, evolves into a person you can't help but dislike at moments.

An organization known as the Chain enlists people to abduct and even murder people. Kylie, a teenage girl, is taken and kept hostage one morning by two men wearing ski masks.

The kidnappers threaten to kill Kylie unless Rachel kidnaps a child, and a new target will be chosen if she doesn't. Rachel must become a criminal in order to reclaim her daughter, Kylie.

The book examines the lengths a mother will go to in order to reclaim her child, as well as the fact that no one is exempt from the threat of becoming a felon if the stakes are raised sufficiently. Rachel is shocked by the acts she conducts in order to get her daughter back, and she realizes how terrible she can be if it means getting her daughter back.

Devotion, by Madeline Stevens

Readers will fall in love with Devotion just as the protagonist does with her new bosses. Before landing a job as a babysitter in New York City for an affluent family, 18-year-old Ella lived off the adoration and sexual attention she received from men.

If all she wants is money, she's lost, but after meeting Lonnie and James she discovers she has other desires as well. Ella's life takes an unexpected turn when she accepts a position as a nanny for the couple's little son.

The reader is left feeling disgusted by the novel's dark and terrible conclusion because of Lonnie's pathological fixation on their luxurious lifestyle and, more especially, on the desire of her husband and his best friend that she harbors.

We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

As both Gone Girl and We Need to Talk About Kevin, We Need to Talk About Kevin is filled with characters that are despicable. We hear from Eva, who writes to her husband to inform him that their kid was a victim of a school shooting.

When it comes to Eva's behavior with her son, Kevin, you can't help but shake your head. Eva seems like a lady who was coerced into parenthood and never really wanted it. Kevin has been a problem child from the start, and it appears that he lacks empathy for others.

Throughout the narrative, the reader must decide if Kevin was born evil or if he was somehow able to detect Eva's dislike for him and behaved as such. Eva's connection with her son, whom she never truly desired, is a major focus of this novel.

Because these works like Gone Girl have unlikable heroes, they're more interesting than the typical "nice guy."

Just like these novels would struggle to be gripping without characters who find themselves making horrible decisions for one reason or another, Gone Girl is not half as good if Amy turned out to actually be the loyal wife who went missing.

---