That used bookstore in Portland made me rethink how I talk about endings

I went to Powell's City of Books last weekend and spent 2 hours in the fiction section. What got me was how many people were debating the endings of books like they were personal betrayals. It hit me that half the time we argue about a book's ending, we're really just arguing about what we wanted to happen, not what the author actually wrote. Has anyone else noticed this in your own book club?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael6696d ago

Wait actually I gotta push back on this because I think endings are one of the only things we SHOULD be critical about. A bad ending can completely ruin a great book for me and thats not just me being stubborn about what I wanted to happen. If an author spends 300 pages building up a certain kind of story and then pulls a completely different ending out of nowhere thats a legit flaw in the writing itself. I mean we judge characters and plot and pacing all the time so why should endings get a pass just because theyre personal. Theres a difference between a surprising ending that makes sense and one that just feels lazy or rushed.

ray3566d ago

But is it really that serious? I mean you read 300 pages for the ride, not just the last 10.

oliverhernandez6d ago

500 pages into a doorstopper fantasy novel, if the last 10 are garbage I still remember the 490 good ones way more. Its like saying the first 45 minutes of a movie are ruined because the final scene was weak, which just isnt how my brain works. Ngl the journey matters more than the destination and I can enjoy a flawed ending as long as the rest delivered.