Gone Girl and Kindred are two American novels whose rise as bestsellers shed light on a larger discussion of what makes novels bestsellers. The phenomena of bestsellerism also presents itself in the other forms of media that are created based on these books, such as the film Gone Girl (2014) and the graphic novel adaptation of Kindred (2017). As we argue in this page, these two novels became bestsellers due to the factors of relatability and intersectionality, wherein the texts appeal to several demographics for different reasons. Both texts discuss the interaction of power on various levels, specifically focusing on gender and race as well as their implications on the main characters’ relationships and on society generally. The way in which the texts present themselves, especially in their discussion of toxic relationships, the role of media, and the social constructions of gender and race, offers an insight into mainstream issues and relevant modern concepts.  This path aims to provide an intersectional analysis of the concepts of gender, race and power relationships, highlighting how the overlap between these concepts fueled the novels’ rise as bestsellers.

In our path, we begin by providing a theoretical framework through a clear understanding of intersectionality, a term that was coined by scholar Kimberle Crenshaw. She states, “Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LBGTQ problem there. Many times, that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things” (Crenshaw).

Building on this definition, we move into a discussion of the intersectionality of race and gender in Kindred, incorporating an analysis of the graphic novel adaptation and the presentation and implications of racial issues in contemporary media. This is followed by a discussion of the role and characterization of the female protagonists in the two novels and their adaptations, using the Bechdel test. This leads to a reflection on the subject of female representation in film, books, and media in general. The subsequent pages focus exclusively on Gone Girl, discussing the implications of Nick and Amy’s toxic marriage and the role that gender power relations play in their relationship and in the novel generally, followed by an analysis of how these elements contributed to the ‘bestsellerism’ of the novel. Finally, our last pages provide a general and comprehensive overview of the concept of ‘bestsellerism’ itself, looking at both Gone Girl and Kindred in order to reach a conclusive answer to the questions: what made these novels bestsellers, and what characterizes and defines ‘bestsellerism’ generally?

*Cover Page designed by Lujain Mahmoud 

References

“Kimberlé Crenshaw on Intersectionality, More than Two Decades Later.” Columbia Law School, www.law.columbia.edu/pt-br/news/2017/06/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionality.