One-Star Revue: Gillian Flynn, GONE GIRL

In 2012 Flynn's third novel broke through the potential genre bounding of its missing-white-female plot to become the year's second true book blockbuster, sharing space with Cheryl Strayed's memoir WILD. It may be of interest to imagine "Amazing" Amy, the disappeared spouse who kicks GONE GIRL into high gear when she vanishes, trailing along behind Strayed, but the authors of these one-star reviews from Amazon would just as soon leave her up there without a pack. Not surprisingly, most of them focus on the book's very divisive ending, which I personally liked. But you'll find no spoilers here:

• "It felt like halfway through the author just got bored and decided to torture us."
• "It wasn't entertaining, just depressing as all get out. Shame on the author for such a let down."
• "I don't mind being "played" as a reader if the payoff is 'Of course!' the way it often is in these twisty little passages of novels, but this just made me feel I was playing in a mudbox and I wanted to wipe it off my hands."
• "A book of pure hate, not the least of which is a long series of characters (not all of them men) who are both obvious and subtle misogynists."
• "Mystery readers like to have all information and try to figure out the plot. Did not happen in this book."
• "As obviously brilliant and insightful as the author is about the mind of men and women, SURELY she could have come up with a twist in the end to not leave you feeling like you need a shower to wash it off of you. And I don't mean that in a good way."
• "I read fiction in order to have a vicarious experience that I enjoy. That's why I don't read stuff with excessive gore, explicit endless hump-hump-hump sex, or 'inside the mind of a serial killer' because I do not WANT to be in there. I want to be in a fun rollercoaster ride that delivers what it promises. This did not."
• "I'm sorry it didn't turn out better for all of our sakes."