This Week’s Topic:
THE THING ABOUT ENDINGS
You all know I am a stickler for endings, and I have been thinking about the way my most recent books ended. For me, I found they tended to fall into three categories.
THE OPEN ENDING
I used to really hate these, because I am such a closure-ho, but with how unsatisfying some of the endings I have encountered lately have been, I am more welcoming of them. There are two ways to look at them. Because, they are not definitive, I can imagine something amazing for the characters. But, let's be honest, I am mostly bitter, when I encounter these endings, because it's not my job to write the ending. It's the author's job, and they copped out, and now I am mad, and left wondering about the future of these people, who I became attached to. I am just usually left wanting more.
THE OVER FOREVER ENDING
You know these, the endings that are written in stone. Whatever there was, at any point during the story, has been destroyed, and there's no turning back the page. Bridges were burned, ties were cut, there is no going home again kind of stuff. I am being a bit dramatic, but hopefully, you know what I am talking about. These endings probably leave me in the worst state. I generally find myself wanting the character to fix what's broken, and then, if it's over for good, I am left sort of bereft. I find myself mulling over ways they could have salvaged the situation, but they didn't even try.
THE NEW BEGINNING-ENDING
These are my favorite. The stories commonly start out bad, and end with something fabulous and wonderful, and you all know me - I'm an HEA girl. They don't even have to totally be all neat and tidy (though, those are my ULTIMATE favorite kind), but they hint to something amazing in the near future.
Now it's your turn!
What are your favorite kind of endings?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
I think my favorite endings are surprise endings. I like books where I feel like ANYTHING can happen. I want the ending to be logical, but it’s awesome if the story goes in a direction I didn’t see coming.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I do like surprises, but when I read certain kinds of books, I like it when things turn out as expected. There is a comfort in that, and one of the big reasons I big up certain kinds of books. Just because it goes as expected, doesn't mean parts of it cannot be surprising, but I guess each type of ending has its place for me.
DeleteUgh, I loathe open ended novels with a passion only reserved for pineapple on pizza. I can't read any more John Green novels for that very reason. I need closure and I think it's a bit of a cop out to be honest, an author leaves the ending open to interpretation because they don't know how to end their own book or don't want to upset readers by swaying one way or the other? Who knows. It absolutely pisses me off to be honest. You probably shouldn't have got me started 🤣
ReplyDeleteSometimes that kind of ending is appropriate, even if I like tidy ending and lots of closure. BUT, they are the exception, not the rule, for me at least. There are definitely some open ending I feel were the author avoiding making some tough decisions. *cough*, Requiem, *cough*
DeleteI HATE the unresolved endings. I don't need 100% closure but I need some sort of indication that things are moving that way. Also hate some sort of dramatic twist thrown in at the end that isn't well-explained and kind of spoils everything that came before (recently read a non-YA like that.)
ReplyDeleteSame. I need to know where we are going or might go. Now I am trying to think if I had encountered such an ending. A twist at the very end without explanation would probably bug me. Like, how? why? You have me curious about what book it happened in?
Deletei love a surprise ending, twists and turns wanted, but mostly, happy ever after. :-)
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I like the surprise ending is good, but when the authors turns it hopeless simply for the element of surprise, that makes me mad
DeleteMmmmm I am 95 % HEA, 3 % new beginning and 2% open ending (some books just ask for open ending!)
ReplyDeleteI think most of the types of endings I put up there have the possibility of being an HEA. A new beginning could be a couple getting together and embarking on a life together, and many open endings totally point in the direction of HEA. I agree with you, that open endings make sense for some stories. I have given 5-stars to books with open endings. Maybe I didn't get all the answers I wanted, but it made sense for me not to. However, I have also read a lot of books, where the author was just avoiding making a hard decision. BOO!
DeleteI have a love hate relationship with endings. I want closure to the story between characters whether good or bad. I prefer the HEA more than anything though or maybe even a promise of some kind of happiness for them to come.
ReplyDeleteI always want closure, but those nail in the coffin, there is no hope for whatever the characters were dealing with type of endings make me sad.
DeleteI love an open ending that's written well. If it's just left completely wide open for no reason then I'm going to feel a little bitter about it. But on the other hand I don't like closed endings that don't leave any room for interpretation at all. I want my imagination to go wild!
ReplyDeleteI am so needy about closure, that I am rarely satisfied with an open ending. Some authors do them better than other, in that they point me in some direction. I have some books, where an open ending made sense, but also read others, which felt like the author was avoiding making any decisions. Those really annoy me
DeleteI hate open endings and I HATE a sad ending even more lol
ReplyDeleteI'm also not a huge fan of a rushed ending - where the couple has been apart most of the book but resolves everything in under 10 pages so I'm not 100% sure their solid. It's better than the other types of endings but still...
The best are solid ending where they discuss, then end up somewhere/or doing something fun as a reward for all the previous drama and an epilogue.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
Sad endings are the WORST! Why!!!! I didn't even think about the rushed endings, but even when good stuff happens, they annoy me, because the resolution doesn't play out well. I call those the Lifetime Movie endings. You know, the resolution happen like 10 mins before the movie is over.
DeleteI love the new-beginning ending :) I need happy endings and happy beginnings! It also gives such a warm feeling when everything is going well at the end. Books with intense cliffhangers or open endings, meanwhile, leave me really sad. I remember reading The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han when I was 12 or 13, and the cliffhanger was just too intense, I couldn't shrug off the sadness after a few hours of finishing it hahaha. This is such a cute post! <3
ReplyDeletejillian @ jillian etc.
The Summer I Turned Pretty was so difficult for me. It contained my least favorite love triangle that can exist - pitting two brothers against each other. I mean, the end of book three was good for me, and all, but it was at quite an emotional cost throughout the series. I think I am more forgiving of endings like that, when it comes to series. There will be another book. This is not the end-end, you know? Still, the heartache is there.
DeleteOpen-endings or happy for nows (in standalone novels) give me rage. If I've spent time getting emotionally invested in a character(s) then I want the forever locked down. Provide an epilogue telling me it's all ok, dammit! *And breathe...*
ReplyDeleteThe Over Forever ending (in the romance genre) would leave me stabby and probably never reading the author again and the "New Beginnings" ending is fine as long as I know that they're in the "new beginning" together.
Ultimately, I don't read romance - invest my time and emotions - to be stiffed out of the happy ending payoff. If I want open-ended or miserable, I'd read literary fiction, biographies or the news.
My love for epilogues is so HUGE, because I am so needy for answers, for knowing the future is secure for these people. I am right there you on this. When I was thinking of the new beginning/over forever thing, it was in context to romances. I would say, that most of the romances I read are new beginning type endings. They meet and stuff happens, and the ending is usually them, solidly a couple, riding off into the sunset. That is always what I expect from a romance that I consider good. I totally feel cheated, when a so-called romance ends without the new-beginning. I call foul on those.
DeleteI really like for books to wrap up. If it is a romance and we get to flash forward a year or two, I am usually left feeling really satisfied. I am not a fan of open endings for the most part. I really just want the author to give me something. I read a book last week that just stopped. Obviously, they want me to read the next book but I don't think that I will. I guess I can deal with a few things left hanging to deal with in the next book but this just felt like someone ripped out the last 50 pages of the book.
ReplyDeleteBe still my heart - flash forwards are my gold standard. To be able to go into the future, and know my couple is still deeply in love is a gift. My most favorite flash forward was in Garrett by Sawyer Bennett. If you read it, I think you understand how amazing and important that ending was to the reader.
DeleteI love pretty much any kind of ending, except an open ending that leaves me hanging. A series book cliffhanger is one thing, but if the story is meant to be a standalone, I want closure of some sort.
ReplyDeleteI am ok with an open ending when it comes to series as well. It makes sense to not wrap it all up (for most series), but that's a crime in a standalone.
DeleteI just like to feel like the author knows the ending. If they are writing by the seat of their pants and have no idea how to really end the thing, it doesn't feel satisfying.
ReplyDeleteI have definitely read books, where I feel like the author wasn't sure what to do, and like you said, they should.
DeleteI really dislike open-endings. Especially with romance, I want a definite ending with a HEA. My absolute favorite endings are where we get a glimpse in to a couple's near future, and they get that extremely romantic swoon-worthy fairytale ending. Great Post Sam :)
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Same. I love a good jump ahead, that let's me a know a bit of the after.
DeleteI have a love-hate relationship with open endings. Sometimes I love how they leave the possibilities up to the reader, but I want that epilogue that tells me too.
ReplyDeleteFor me, they sometimes fit, but for the most part, I want all the details
DeleteI could not agree more with ALL of this, Sam! Even in a brutal book/series, I want the ending to at least be moderately hopeful. This is why I loved The Hunger Games so. It wasn't like, HEA wrapped up in a bow, but it was satisfyingly hopeful. The open endings really irk me too. Because you are RIGHT, the author's job is to finish the whole story! And it DOES feel either easy, or gimmicky, or sometimes both. And the written in stone one...UGH. That reminds me of Allegiant, the worst book ending of ever, and YEP I am right there with you.
ReplyDeleteI have discussed the big thing that happened towards the end of Allegiant with my daughter, and it just didn't fit with everything else the story was about. I did feel a bit hopeful at the very end, when they were together again, but that one element was a big disappointment after all the pages I read.
DeleteI am a closed ending kind of person. I want to know if the characters are happy or sad, dead or alive, who they are with (so I can pretend they will be withm forever) and everything!! Closure! But I also on rare occasions actually love the open ending too? Becuas sometimes it is so perfect for the book and just what it needs to be.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I feel like the author owes us that. There are certain stories, that warrant open endings, but they are the exception, not the rule.
DeleteI tend to like open endings, although two books I've read recently left the major plot point of the book unresolved, and I have mixed feelings about it! I also like endings that give a little preview into the future so we can see how the characters are doing.
ReplyDeleteI think those are the worse kind of open endings. I also recently read a book, which I thought was really good, but then the book ended, and some major plot lines were left wide open. I ain't having that.
DeleteI tend to want the HEA too. I can handle open endings sometimes, but I definitely prefer things to be wrapped up---but if it's the choice between open and a horrible ending ... yeah, leave it open.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I can deal with an open ending, when it fits the situation, but they fit so few situations. I really shouldn't see them as much as I do. I guess I would opt for open over horrible too
Delete