There comes an awkward moment in every bookworm’s life when they screech from the hilltops, “THIS IS A HORRIBLE BOOK!“
And…they mean it enthusiastically.
It’s probably the hardest thing to explain. But some books are really, really good…and also awful because they have no conclusion. They can be so awful it’s hard to explain that they’re good. (And they’re nearly impossible to review.) How is a bookworm to manage this insane feeling? Screaming? Ranting? Raving? How are we to explain ourselves?!
Trying to sum up feelings for horrible-good books with no conclusions can purely be summed up like this:
I first experienced this phenomenon when I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
There is nothing good about it. NOTHING. (I haven’t even seen the movie yet because I value my tear ducts.) This book is incredibly well written, it inspired my own writing style, and it smushed my emotions into a little ball and trampled on them with spiky shoes.
But it’s still a good book.
But how? And why? And I can’t explain why it’s good because it seems so very bad. Because:
- There’s no positive ending.
- Nothing gets fixed.
- There is a point but no resolution.
- It’s horribly depressing.
I felt this aaaaaall over again when I read Only Ever Yours.
Talk about deja vu. It’s a horrible book with no resolution. I finished it with my braincells about to burst while I said, “BUT WHAT WAS THE POINT!??”
Sometimes books don’t seem to have “points” because their ending isn’t hopeful and their conclusion doesn’t fix anything. There is no answer. There is no hope. THERE IS NOTHING.
But sometimes that IS the point.!
These books are purely shouting about the problem. They’re not fixing it. They’re drawing our attention to it. That’s still important.
Most books are written to say, “Hey look at these awful terrible, no good circumstances. Let’s see what we can do to make them better!” Especially in YA or MG… messages of hope are 98% required. For instance:
- The Hunger Games: There’s a bad Capitol controlling everyone and killing all how threaten to rebel…so Katniss & Co have a rebellion.
- City of Bones: There is an evil dude called Valentine trying to turn Shadowhunters into dark demonic killers….so Clary & Co fight him (and save humans too).
- Since You’ve Been Gone: Emily is alone and shy and awkward and her best friend is missing….so Emily & Co complete a list of tasks to help her be brave and find her friend.
But some books are written WITHOUT a conclusion to draw emphasis to the problem.
This is also okay. It’s not bad storytelling. It’s just not as usual as “concluded endings”. Who likes to read 100% depressing, hopeless books?! (Um, me apparently, but let’s not get into that.)
Only Ever Yours: Is a future society where a girl’s only purpose is to give their husbands sex and children. It picks up mental health and society’s skewed definition of beauty and EXPLODES THEM.- The Boy In The Striped Pajamas: Is about WWII and the holocaust and the pointlessness of killing and how little kids can get caught up and killed in the pointless wars of adults.
- Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock: is about mental health and that, even if a disaster is averted or completed, it doesn’t mean the illness will go away.
BOOKS ALWAYS HAVE A POINT, BUT THEY DON’T NECESSARILY HAVE CONCLUSIONS OR FIXES..
It’s hard to swallow. These kind of conclusion-less books always leave me feeling marginally depressed and wanting to crawl into a happy book of sunshine and rainbows. But they’re worth reading because of all the questions they raise. I will forever love books that make me think.
how do YOU feel about books with no conclusions?? does it bug you? do you feel that no conclusion makes the book pointless? or do you think it’s fair and acceptable to have books that make a point but don’t FIX anything?? i definitely need to talk this one out, peoples. LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!!
Cait tried to edit her book on a Monday. HA HA HAHA. no. It didn’t not work well, although she did finish a chapter despite her brain malfunctioning. She also finished BLACK HEART by Holly Black which is the conclusion to a fabulous trilogy. Now she has post-trilogy feels.
I totally get what you’re saying, Cait. BUT then even though there is a point and there is a problem on which there is more focus than how to SOLVE the problem, I simply CANNOT digest books that don’t solve it. Their problems, I mean. I get why the authors did it, and sometimes I even admit that it may have been the best way to go, but either way, I feel like the author has completely violated the contract between authors and readers by saying, “This is where I stop. You can figure out the rest on your own.”
That’s not to say I don’t like open-ended climaxes – I DO! – but sometimes, its like the book just stopped, no conclusion, no explanation, and while that may be okay, even from a literary point of view, for me I just feel so cheated!
Haha! I hear what you're saying, Madiha, I truly do! I think I'm a bit more oh-this-was-awful-but-I'm-still-totally-okay-with-it sort of reader. It does feel like a teeny tiny violation though. Like if the main character dies?! That feels WRONG every time, and yet I still rate books high for doing it. xD
Haha, I’m currrently drafting a point about open endings myself, in which I talk about open endings being the devil. I really do not like open endings. I get the appeal of them, but.. I want to know what happens, okay? I’ve spent all this time investing in your story, and I feel cheated when they don’t tell me how it ends. TELL ME HOW IT ENDS. *breathes deeply* I’m okay.
THEY ARE THE DEVIL, BUT THEY'RE STILL AJFDKSALFD TO READ. Which sounds bad, written out like that but you knooooow what I mean. XD
Ooh, interesting. And for me . . . it just depends on the book. Having a conclusion to a novel might be unrealistic in some instances, you know? When novels are more open-ended it leaves room for more realism, I think, especially in novels where the problem wouldn’t realistically just go away. I guess as a reader it is a little frustrating, but at the same time, I get it.
I at least expect the characters to be attempting to work on the problem, you know?? Like in some books they don't fix it, but they're fighting it. And in these kind of open endings there's just NO fighting, NO fixing, NO ANYTHING BUT TEARS. :'( I'm never sure what to think at the end.
TOTALLY. AGREE. And the short story I just wrote for English is kind of like that…everyone dies hahahahaha. It’s brilliant. I don’t mind open endings at all. I mean, they INFURIATE me but I love them at the same time???? Okay I’m mostly just talking about Looking for Alaska here, got to be honest…
Omg, it sounds brilliant. I highly approve. And you know how I end my books, so, um, YES. Mostly everyone dies in them. xD
Okay, but ONLY EVER YOURS sounds so fab and I want to read it so much. And you’re definitely right on the point-but-no-conclusion thing. A book HAS to have the “ding” at the end, but it’s okay to just leave the reader a shattering mess if that’s where the story ends. One thing I mildly dislike is cliffhangers at the end of books (okay that happens with movies more but still). Because it doesn’t FEEL like the story’s over. Open endings and tragic endings and whatnot are all fine with me, but you have to tie it off somehow, even if it’s just by laying out all the threads and snipping them there. I have to get the info to interpret at least the *feel* of what comes later. If there’s a spark of hope or it’s just DOOOOOM.
And about fixes, I totally think you can not have fixes. Partly because you know, everything I write mainly just scream “LOOK HOW BAD THIS IS. EVERYONE’S DEAD NOW.”
I feel kind of robbed when there's like NO conclusion…but at the same time I realise it's a story-telling tactic and it's not bad, per se. Right??? Ughhh, cliffhangers HURT. *whispers* Totally read Only Ever Yours. I shall be here for emotional support. XD
Once again, great post, Cait! I think this is an interesting topic. It’s true that how the story is told and how the book ends can emphasize the whole point the author is trying to make.
I read The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. The ending was shocking, but the thing is – it made the book and the the message in the book unforgettable. I read it as a kid, and because of that ending and the lack of your typical, happy conclusion, it’s stuck with me since then.
I never really stopped to think about this…thanks for bringing it up!
Awk, thanks, Hannah!! *dances a little* I will never ever recover from TBITSP ending. I just…it was my first time reading a book like that and I totally freaked.
I am not as bugged about books with no real conclusion as others. It really just depends on the book. Some books just don’t call for a strong resolution. The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favorite books, but nothing really gets fixed in that one. The society is still the same as it ever was. I think any other ending would have just been unrealistic. Thanks for the heads up about Only Ever Yours though. That one is on my TBR. Nice to know that it doesn’t have a resolution.
*whispers* I hope you like Only Ever Yours….it's AMAZING but it kind of murdered my soul and heart and brain. Oh look, I'm sticky-taping my heart back together. AGAIN.
I love a book without a conclusion AS LONG as it’s not the last book in a series. Because then I’m like . . . uhm, dude, you’ve given us cliff-hangers for both the first and second book and now you’re doing it for the FINAL book? I’ve followed these characters for years and you’re not even going to give me a proper resolution? WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU, DO YOU HAVE NO SOUL?
But if it’s a standalone or something, I like the non-ending. It feels realistic and just kind of adds to the emotional onslaught of the book. Like Leonard Peacock. I LOVED that ending. I mean, I hated it because it WAS NOT AN ENDING, but then I loved it for that very same reason. There is no resolution for Leonard, so why should there be a resolution for us, as the reader?
I think non-endings work better when they’re books that follow a character closely and focus on their personal journey, rather than when they’re action/dystopia books which are more plot-based. No resolution in plot-based books is kind of lazy IMO
Pffft, we all know authors have no souls. They drink the tears of their readers for brunch.oh but yes yes! I will agree with that! Series kind of DO need more of an ending just for the plain reason we've stuck with them for several books (and I kind of lurch when a character you've read about for 5+ books just up and DIES. IT FEELS LIKE THE AUTHOR IS ROBBING US.) Omg, Leonard Peacock absolutely destroyed me. I was actually late for work because I couldn't stop reading it. WHAT EVEN IS LIFE?
I always find it fascinating (and albeit slightly annoying at first) when books don’t have a definitive ending – and yet there is still something inherently, strangely satisfying because like you pointed out – they do make you think. It almost makes me digest the plot even more and consider more deeply the issues being raised. Fabulous discussion as always!
Agreed! I go through a whole range of emotions too. xD When I finished Only Ever Yours I was FURIOUS. But then, a few days later I was ready to review it and admit I liked it a lot. XD
I love when books leave me wondering and curious and full of questions. Books don’t need to have a conclusion just to have a point. This is why I’m okay with open endings. I mean yeah it totally breaks me more often than not because you kind of just go crazy when a book leaves you like that but you learn to accept it, you learn to imagine and make conclusions of your own. Awesome discussion, Cait!
*hi fives* ME TOO. I actually love open endings. I think it makes the book stick with me for longer because my brain is still spluttering with “wait, wait, no no no” and I just digest the book more thoroughly. Books tied up in a little bow just get stowed in the “finished” pile in my brain I guess. XD
I hate it when you know that they all lived or whatever, but you don’t know what happens next. Like, ARe two more chapters too much too ask? *cough* Blood of Olympus *cough* I understand why authors do this, I really do. But good authors care about their characters and also thier readers. I have to say, I really identify with Hazel Grace on this one. Lovely post, and thought provoking, Cait 🙂
I've heard Rick Riordan is the KING OF HORRIBLY MEAN CLIFFHANGERS. XD I'm not looking forward (haha I totally am) to his 2nd series of PJO. xD
I do like poignant books but my emotions don’t. That’s why I decided not to read Only Ever Yours. It sounds a hell of a lot like The Handmaid’s Tale, and from the premise, it’s not like these two girls are gonna start a revolution to change their messed up society sooo… right now reading a book like that would get me down more than anything else.
I’m in two minds. I like it when books are different and don’t necessarily solve all the problems. That’s like real life. Then again, I do want to be taken AWAY from real life in a book, and sometimes leaving problems unsolved is just heartbreaking, like a book called Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. Brilliant book, but left me feeling so angsty and mad and… sad! The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was the same. They made us read that at school… I was pretty horrified. Awww Cait!!! This post indeed a headscratcher. =/ I hope you read another book soon that’ll cheer you up. c:
Well,I love books without conclusions.They make you think.They’ll sit in your mind for days.They leave a lasting impact on you.
And most of all,they make you come to your own conclusion to the issue.That makes it even more powerful!
They do sit in your mind for days!! I feel like the last longer in my brain. For some reason…When a book concludes, I tend to just forget about it.
Mm generally, I prefer a conclusion to a book. I don’t mind if it’s good or bad, as long as it’s a conclusion. But, if a book is written particularly well, I might forgive that it doesn’t have a conclusion, though I think it’s regretful that the book did not truly end.
I definitely understand what you mean, Jessica! I'm pretty much fine with open endings and non-conclusions, but I DO baulk at the beginning and wail and gnash teeth if I don't get answers. (Then I admit I enjoyed it. XD)
I think it depends on the book. With some books, I’d actually prefer that there not be a neatly wrapped up little present of an ending, because it doesn’t fit with the nature of the book. I’d much rather have the “things aren’t perfect, but I’m working on it” ending when it’s really gut-wrenching feelsy stuff. Morgan Matson is great at that. She puts her characters through the wringer, and while they definitely get their cute-boy-next-door-loves-me happy ending, it’s never in a “This is forever” way. It’s always a “This is the beginning of something and we’ll see where it goes” way. Which I like, because it’s far more realistic than the alternative.
But sometimes I just want to shake the author and yell “WHAT HAPPENS NEXT I NEED TO KNOW DAMMIT”. So…yeah.
I LOVE SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE but it's the only Morgan Matson book I've read. now I want more. Because I totally agree. That is so much more realistic.
Oh The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas makes me want to cry just thinking about it! THE MOVIE BROKE ME! I’d still recommend seeing it, but your tear ducts might actually produce tears for once 😉 I own Only Ever Yours, but need to read it. But now you have me a little scared to start it!
THAT IS TRUE! I might not be a Vulcan forever if I watch it! haaaaah. #stilltooscared
I don’t necessarily want things to be fixed. Sometimes I feel like it cheapens the book if things are easily fixed. Because some things just aren’t easily fixed, in real life. I love Only Ever Yours for that reason. These problems aren’t easily fixed in our world. To write a book about these problems where somehow everything gets solved would just seem ridiculous: these problems can’t be fixed in a day, by just one or two people. It takes books like these, raising awareness over years and years, to even make the problem slightly better. It will take changing the media and our education and the way everyone is brought up, it will take changing the way boys and girls think about each other and themselves. It takes the whole world. And that’s not easily done.
Only Ever Yours is the best. I want to roll around in my horrible dark feelings about that book forever. It makes me so incredibly depressed but it’s such a good book, ahhhhhh.
It really does annoy me when a book has a very serious issue and then at the end of the book it seems like it’s all going to be sunshine and rainbows. Blehhh.
I haven’t read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas or Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock but I know they’re great books that I should definitely try to read!
I think, when I went into reading Only Ever Yours, I was sort of expecting it to have a proper ending because MOST ya books do. In retrospect, I'm so glad it didn't. It would've felt cheapened. The story was so so powerful as was… omg, I'm still thinking and mulling over it and it's a week later. (Usually I've forgotten books by this time. 0.0)
I was first introduced to conclusionless books through Stuart Little by E.B. White. My older brother loves that book to pieces and tried to convince me afterwards that it was okay that it has no ending. I was devestated and would not be calmed. Honestly, I still haven’t fully forgiven that book.
However, time has passed and I’ve been thinking (and my brother has continued his persuading). Sometimes conclusionless boos (or books with a less traditional ending) are written that way TO MAKE A POINT. It may be annoying, but it is acceptable because the conclusionless books I have read have been some of the most thought provoking (i.e. Boy In Striped Pajamas).
I will always hate them and shout that it is unfair, but deep down inside I know that they are necessary. And sometimes I think they are actually the best kind of book after all.
I never read Stuart Little but omg, it had no ending?! And it's a kids book! That's brave of the author. XD Yep, that's exactly what I'm saying. It's definitely to make a point. It doesn't always have to resolve the point to make it. *nods*
I think I get what you’re saying but I don’t think I’ve actually read a book where there is no conclusion. I get why it would be annoying though but I can also understand why an author might do it.
It’s not quite the same but it annoys me when a book is part of a series and the book doesn’t stand up on it’s own and things aren’t wrapped up and it’s blatantly a bit of a ploy to make you read the next book. I felt that way about The Elite in The Selection series; the book was pointless, nothing really happened, it was filler.
Ohh, second-book blues is something I totally see a lot. Sadness. (And that's one of the reasons I've put off The Elite, haha.)
I suppose they don’t but I prefer books that do have a conclusion. I know that sometimes things don’t all get wrapped up nicely in real life but I kind of feel like the whole point of fiction is to tell a story and that means having a clear beginning, middle and end. I don’t think that it always has to be a happy ending but I definitely want some kind of ‘end’ so I can feel satisfied and move on.
I totally understand!! And I'm glad MOST books do…although, I have to admit, I'm still partial to the ending-less (totally a word) ones. They really make me think. 0.0
Very interesting post, Cait! I must admit that I do like books with conclusions. I like knowing what happens at the end of a book and what will happen to the characters. I prefer reading books with a point and with a conclusion, but I can see why – if a book hasn’t got either of those things – they could be great to read, as they would raise questions and make us think.
Those ending-less (that's totally a word amirite?!) totally do make me think and kind of drive me batty….buuuut I love them. XD
I think no, books don’t always need a set conclusion, books can have one and it might be a good idea, but generally, there’s no mighty need, at least, not in a rounded off way. Dangerous Girls didn’t have one, not really, but it bought about the topic of how flawed the justice system is, that was the important point, and it made it. The Fault in Our Stars didn’t have one, not really, but it made the message of touching people in the number of days you live, and that’s important. The Last Leaves Falling hit on the message that not everybody that’s dying wants to live, and that can be hard to swallow, but it’s important none the less. All these ARE conclusions, because to conclude means to come to end, but also to ‘arrive at a judgement or opinion by reasoning’, and these books do that, so they have concluded, they have a conclusion.
Fantastic topic Cait, in fact, I’m tempted to look out for Only Ever Yours now, it sounds brilliant! 😀
I feel like conclusion means a wrap-up but I don't know what the actual definition of the word is. XD So YEAH. Dangerous Girls soooo did not have a proper ending. 0.0 I get gobsmacked just thinking about that again. GAH. Favouritest book!!
Ooooh, great post, Cait! I totally agree with you. Books that don’t have a neatly wrapped up conclusion make me REALLY mad, and yet I love them so very much at the same time! As much as I hate not knowing where all the characters end up, and seeing all problems solved by the end of the book, I guess sometimes it’s necessary to highlight the point that’s being made and to make it stick with the reader. I remember books with no conclusions far longer than the ones that do tie up all loose ends, precisely because I keep thinking about the ending and all the questions raised that weren’t answered explicitly.
Frustrating as it is for me, as a reader, to be left with the uncertainty, I guess in some ways no conclusion makes more sense than “concluded endings”, because that’s the way things are in real life, where more often than not we have a myriad of questions and very few answers. Even though most of the time they drive me crazy thinking about all the possibilities, I still love open-ended books. And I have to admit, they are the best to discuss with family and friends for hours and hours! Awesome discussion, thank you!
yes yes! Exactly! I always think about open-ended books for soooo much longer than ones with a proper conclusion. I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas at least 4 years ago…I remember every page absolutely perfectly still.
I think some things can be left open. Romantic subplots, for example, do NOT need closing. I mean, it’s nice to know the outcome, but if the story only takes a fortnight and the characters only meet at the beginning, maybe it should be left as a maybe. Likewise, if the supporting cast can’t find the main character after the battle, why can’t his/her fate be left ambiguous? It’s torturous, sure, but, if done right, it would make an awesome ending. I hate books without solutions to the main problems though because it’s like the writer is saying: “Look, this is how it always is and always will be. You can’t change anything and you can’t fight fate” and you can ALWAYS fight fate 😉
That is so true…I hadn't thought about romantic subplots like that before. BUT YES. It's actually realistic to leave them a bit more open. Ha yes! LET ME GET MY MERIDA, “would ye change yer fate?” !! XD
if I’m perfectly honest, I love the books that end with a point but no conclusion (within means of course. if it’s a murder mystery, or suspense or the sort of boom where they set you up for a conclusion. in which case, you’d better give me that complete ending or I shall be very put out).
I feel like Eleanor and Park has one of the most beautiful endings to any book I’ve ever read.
nothing changed dramatically
they didn’t run off into the sunset, holding hands and singing.
Eleanor was still in need of a personality check.
Park was still adorable asian.
and it was realistic. that’s the way the world works. we don’t always get a happily ever after in the big picture.
Societies can’t just be changed in the time spanse of a three-book dystopian trilogy. and people can’t always be saved in 20 something chapters.
in my own books,
I have one book where I kill of the main character at the last chapter. I don’t redeem him. he doesn’t see the light. he’s dead and, quite frankly, he deserves it.
I have a dystopian sex-slave based society that doesn’t get fixed because societies are not easily fixed by six emotionally scarred teenagers on the run for their lives. (but I do let them escape to a happily ever after, and just because the book ends doesn’t mean their fight for what’s right does)
but for the most part. I write happy endings with a twist.
but not always.
Ahhhhhgh I GET FEELS JUST THINKING ABOUT THE ELEANOR AND PARK ENDING. I do like how realistic open-endings are. It's so so true…real life doesn't just wrap up with a neat little bow. Our entire lives are one big long chapter all squished together and blurred at the edges. Oh oh you should read Only Ever Yours. It's a dystopian based sex-slave sort of book, only everyone believes it's right. 0.0 I am still struggling with it, but the open ending was perfect.
I love this post!
And I agree:) We don’t need conclusion which wrap up everything, they don’t result in a book being amazing or an emotional journey! The Boy in Striped Pyjamas wrecked me- it’s heartbreaking, raw and just leaves us hanging with tears in our eyes:( I never noticed how many YA novels revolve around hope but that’s definitely true! I love hope in books but sometimes the lack of it leaves an impact because we are so aware of the hopelessness.
Only Every Yours and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock sound so good! I’ve got to read them ASAP:)
IT WRECKED ME TOO. *is still sticky taping heart back together after like 5 years* I think it's nice that most YA books have a message of hope…and that books conclude with good winning. It isn't like that in real life, but hey. Books aren't always realistic in that sense. xDYOU DO NEED TO READ THEM BOTH ASAP. Incredible books. Leonard Peacock was a 5-star read for me.xD
If the book is in a series, especially the last installment, it better have a conclusion and it better be one that I’m okay with because I’ve worked this hard to get to it. Otherwise, I’m okay with the authors having a bit of creative license with it. Sometimes that’s what makes the book most striking and I like when the reader gets to decide what happens for themselves. The first time I remember being caught up in this is with The Giver. The ending just isn’t very clear at all and at the time, I found myself frustrated. Now, though, I see it as poetic.
HA! YES I AGREE! It's hard when you stick with a book for like 3+ books and the ending just leaves you going, “what what what”. -_- I think we deserve a conclusion if that's the case, right!?? Oh I totally understand about The Giver. I read it when I was about 12 and I just thought, “What? I don't get it.” But now I totally appreciate it. I think it does get explained in the 4th book, too, but I only read the first 2 books in the quartet.
Great post! And I agree with you. I actually love, and sometimes prefer books with ”no conclusion”. Maybe I’m just rebelling against moralistic changes in characters, but I like things subtle. I like stories that make you think, “What’s really happening here?”, “What is the ”conclusion” in this story?”. I don’t always want it all spelled out for me. Mary Jane changed in ways a, b, and c. Rather let’s talk a walk with Mary Jane in our minds and discover her at a deeper level.
I don’t know if that makes sense, oh well. I did my best. 🙂
Oh oh yes to taking a walk with our Mary Jane. IT MAKES SENSE. I like subtle too.
As soon as I saw your title Only Ever Yours immediately sprang to mind! But I think the lack of conclusion works in OEY – no matter what happens, the girls have no future. From the moment they’re born, they will either be baby-machines, prostitutes or nuns. They have no rights or worth, so their futures will inevitably be bleak. As you say, that is the point.
It’s a horrible point, but a necessary one nonetheless.
Beth x
I finished Only Ever Yours like a week ago and it totally inspired this post. XD (I love it when books inspire my discussions, lol, I don't have to think up topics for myself. XD)
I’m kind of torn when it comes to open endings. I think they are totally NOT ok when it comes to a series. When you as a reader invest that much, the author owes you at least some level of closure. I also don’t like when open endings are used as a way to bring up an important topic while avoiding taking a stand. If something is important enough for the author to write a whole book on the topic, then they should really commit to saying something about it.
On the other hand, I think open endings can be a viable option for short stories, as long as they’re used to achieve a specific effect or the reader is able to walk away with a very clear idea of why the author told the story. If you sacrifice closure, I think you need to make up for it with a very clear, concise message. I actually used an open ending in a story I wrote last year. I ended at what you could argue was the climax of the story, but that’s also the moment when the reader (hopefully) realizes the story is about something different than they thought. After that, the goal of the story has been achieved and has been made clear to the reader, so I decided the effect would be better if I ended it there, even though the plot isn’t resolved.
I do totally understand what you mean…although, on the other hand, I understand that sometimes writers take a neutral ground on a HUGE topic so we readers see all sides. It's hard to write well though. *nods* OH YES. But I think we need to know WHY the story was told. That's important.
I would’ve yelled right now OF COURSE BOOKS NEED CONCLUSIONS WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? But reading the post, I realised… that maybe they don’t. Some books (when they aren’t dystopians) I can handle with open endings. But when they’re dystopians, and don’t have a conclusion… well that makes me so mad! Why did I waste my time on this if I don’t even know if it’s fixed or not?!
MWHAHA. I HAVE CONVERTED YOU TO MY EVIL OVERLORD THINKING. *cackles villainously*
My theory when it comes to conclusions is that I don’t mind open endings, as long as there is a smattering of hope. If you give us a problem, you don’t have to solve it. But at least imply that it CAN be solved, eventually.
The Great Gatsby’s pretty sad. People die. People don’t learn from past mistakes. But what makes me satisfied with this ending is that there is this new view of the world and humanity and how humans work that has been developed through the book. And through this understanding of the world, it implies that we can learn from it and apply it in our own lives to be happier people than Gatsby and Co. That’s the kind of ending I need.
Haaa, okay, stay away from most of the books I listed then. XD I do get what you're saying…but what about the topics that CAN'T be solved?! Like mental illness can't be solved. It can be managed, but you can't solve it. :(Omg, that makes me want to read The Great Gatsby.
I think I basically feel the same way you do. Although, I prefer to know that the book is going to be like that before I read itXD I’ve read a couple of books that I knew were going to end without any resolution and I handled those better than I did the ones that I didn’t know about. I like those books because they make a statement, but I can’t help but try and “fix” them in me head. With The Boy in Striped Pajamas (which I read for the first time in 4th grade. Which, I honestly think was too young) I tried to “fix” it in my head. Like, I always imagined that Bruno’s (that’s his name, right?) dad quit his job with the Nazi’s at the camp and maybe joined the Allies. I think maybe society has brainwashed us into thinking that every bad situation has to end happy. Or, that something good will at least come out of it for those hurt the worst. But things don’t always end that we. With the first two books you mentioned that had no resolution, I think the purpose is to draw the reader’s attention to them and say, “Hey! There is something that you can/could have done about this! True, with TBiSP, we weren’t alive, but look what the ones who were alive did about it! They stipped it! They vowed not to stop fighting until they ended it or got killed. I think THG (the first one, not CF or MJ) could have been written a bit differently and ended wothout resolution and the message would be, “Hey! Don’t you see? This is where we’re headed! What are you going to do to change that?” With the third book you mentioned, though, the message can’t be the do something about it because it’s mental illness and that’s not going to go away, but it does say that we need to come to understand what they person goes through on a daily basis and try to be nocer to them instead of looking down on them. I just read the Goodreads description and it also kind of sounds like the message is more about suicide, bit woth the the message is pretty much the same, “Don’t push a person to that point and if you know someone who might be tettering on the edge, do something about it!”
Ok, I just wrote a book to go in the comments, but I needed to get that outXD I’m done nowXD
Woah, yes I think 4th grade is too young for The Boy In the Striped Pajamas! I read it at like 15 and it reeeeally scarred me. Although it was the first book I'd ever read with such an open ending. I still fill absolutely moved by it, even 6 years later.Hm, yes, I see what you mean with THG. Although I don't really think we are heading in that direction. (Phewf.) Except with the media lunching on love-stories instead of murder. heh.And for Forgive Me Leonard Peacock? Well…it kind of ends with absolutely NOTHING being fixed. Absolutely nothing. Which really shocked me, but I appreciated it later. (I can't say whyyyy because spoooooilers. SORRY. xD)
Basically…that GIF sums it up perfectly. If it’s chewy books that do bring our attention to ideas no conclusions are the way to go – when they do have a conclusion that ending seems WAY too unrealistic. And I guess the ones with no conclusion have this knack of staying in our minds for a bit. You can’t stop thinking about them because IT DIDN’T END PROPERLY. 😀
THE GIF IS JUST PERFECTION. I like it when books stay on my mind for ages and ages. I find the open-ended ones stay with me longer.
I don’t know, I would have said they bug me as hell but then I stopped for a second and realized I kind of don’t mind them. It’s okay not to have everything fixed and neatly arranged at the end because it’s like real life. Although when I’m reading a book I’m probably doing it because I had enough of ‘reality stuff’ thank you very much, but still, it’s good to be reminded of real life. Because that’s what’s happening to us. And books point out things we might just rush by every day without really seeing them.
It is kind of like real life, right?! And books so often wrap everything in a bow and it's NICE but it's not realistic. XD
I disagree that all books have a point. All well-written books have a point… but it’s still possible for an author to blow it. I’ve read a few like that. Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle was one. More Than This by Patrick Ness was another. I read both of those and came away with the same feeling: “Well, that was pointless.”
Then there are the books that really have no conclusion, or they at least have one that makes you puzzle over it for a while. I’m thinking of one in particular, but if I tell you which one, it’s kind of a major spoiler. I’m still not sure what was real and what wasn’t… and I think that was the point. But I still thought it was a really good book.
Weeeeell, that again is just in our own opinions, right?! I agree More Than This had a completely open ending but I definitely saw a point and loved that book. x) Omg, I'M INTRIGUED BY THE NAMELESS BOOK XD
I hate books with vague and open conclusions, but in a good way. I hate the authors of these books for not telling me exactly what happens at the end because then the book won’t leave me alone. However, I consider that a good thing. I love books that have a resonance to them because they make me think, and I love thinking about books. Daydreaming about books is totally what I do instead of talking to people, haha.
Haha! Exactly! They're horrible books…but they're so so good, right?! >_< These authors do so love to torture us.
I think you have a really good point…sometimes books aren’t MEANT to wrap up with a bow at the end. I always feel weird recommending them though, because sometimes even though I can appreciate them and the message there, I feel like someone else would say, “What is wrong with you? This book was weird and depressing and I hated Scene X and Character Y. Why would you tell me to read that?”
I felt that way after reading Tokyo Doesn’t Love Us Anymore. I felt like there was a really profound message under there somewhere, but the whole book was so weird and there was NO friggin’ conclusion, even though there was kind of a conclusion. I wrapped it up feeling like I didn’t even know what I read. After thinking about it for a while my feelings toward it changed, but I still don’t think I’d recommend it to someone else. They might think I was nutty 😛
Same! I'm like “Here read this book that will just make you hate everything and everyone but I promise it's good”. #awkwardbookwormproblemsI'm really curious to look up that book though…just so I can see if you really are nutty. 😉
Urgh – I have too many thoughts – OK, I know life isn’t always easy, perfect or how you expect it to be. In fact, it’s mostly like that. So I know books should/could reflect reality by not having a HEA, a nicely wrapped up ending or a satisfying conclusion, but surely as humans that’s what we want. We crave what life doesn’t give us which is why so many of us like a finality? I personally much prefer books that have a satisfying ending, that’s not to say it HAS to be a HEA, sometimes I like “sad” endings, but I need an ending. I NEED the author to make a decision – live or die, together or apart, which boy does she pick etc. I can’t have open endings, don’t be a wuss. Choose!!! LOL R x
HA! I understand! Although I do like the ones that are totally open and don't always make 100% sense. It's very much like real-life. That saaaaaying, though….reading books is often an escape from real life, so a bit of magical let's-tie-this-book-up-in-a-bow never goes amiss either.
Interesting question Cait! 😀 Personally, I love open-ended climaxes. There’s something about them that just makes them linger in your head for a long time, and they invite so much thought and discussion – which I love. Two of my favorite books – The Giver and Flipped (which you totally need to read BTW) – are open-ended though, so I suppose I might be biased. 😉 Thanks for sharing and great discussion!
I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, ZOE. #proofofourbookishtwinness I really really want to read Flipped. The movie looked adorable too. 😉 And The Giver?! THAT JUST WINS THE WORLD.
I don’t like books like the ones you’re describing haha! I don’t like to read a book and just be sad at the end! It’s the reason why I keep putting off reading The Fault in Our Stars, even though I know it would be amazing once I read it. Just when given the choice between an emotional book and one that is fun, I always pick the fun one! I wish I would read more variety though… maybe one day!
I think books that lack conclusions are meant to have a point. If they’re done well, I’ll understand and be totally okay. Not everything ends in happy ever after and some stories are so disastrous that a HEA would actually look worse than inconclusive.
What I don’t like are those endings that make me feel like there was no point to the book. For some books, it looks like the author couldn’t make up her/his mind and so they left it open. That really irritates me. Like, is there a point to what I’m reading?
Most of the time, it has a point and I can REALLY appreciate it for what it is, but I definitely agree with you.
Yes! The HEA would be forced and awkward…and ruin the tone of the story. Hmmm, yeah, I totally get that though. Like when it feels like the author couldn't make up their mind. USUALLY I'm okay, but sometimes I do get a bit whiny and wish for a proper ending. *nods*
Great post, Cait!
I couldn’t agree more. There are so many ways to end a book, and while most of the time a happy ending via an epilogue is the most pleasing way, sometimes an ambiguous ending works best.
Of course, like you said, vague, open-ended endings make me want to die sometimes. I guess the most prominent example for me would be Eleanor and Park. That actually wasn’t THAT bad, though, because I didn’t like that book that much…
WHY CAN’T ALL BOOKS JUST TURN OUT TO BE AMAZING!??!!?!?
Ambiguous is life sometimes. XD Weeell, for me. I find books with super-open endings make me think a LOT. And yes yes Eleanor And Park! (I didn't think of that one or I would've put it on my list of open-ending books. hehe. I'm still curious as to what she wrote Park….
Books without conclusions drive ME INSANE!! I honestly can’t stand not having a conclusion. It can be a great book, but it really annoys me. Gosh I’m getting so heated right now, haha!
FAIR ENOUGH! WE ARE ALLOWED TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR OPINIONS, AMIRITE?!! x)
I love open endings, in the twisted way you explain. Mostly because it more closely reminds me of reality. I mean, I wish portions of my life wrapped up as well as most YA books, but that’s not always the case.
They are so so like reality….and I love that in books. It's like a glimpse into real-life, hehe, instead of the usual nice neat little bow books get.
Only Ever Yours basically gutted me. I understand why it “ended” as it did, but it didn’t make me any less stabby. And that was a 5 star book for me, because it fit with the message and tone of the book. But the books you mentioned (like The Hunger Games) are so different, they deserve an ending, and I get really mad when I don’t get one. I’m looking at YOU, Requiem. I don’t need everything to be all wrapped up completely, I am fine with some ambiguity, but WHY did I read this story if there is not going to be an ending? That drives me insane. If I wanted to make up my own ending, I’d just tell myself a story!
I BLAME YOU, BTW. I only read it because you raved about it. 😉 Buuuut it was so worth it. I sticky-taped my heart back together, I did.
No, but some do xD
Hmmmm… I think it depends on the book! I think Mockingjay would’ve been better off with no conclusion/epilogue because it felt pretty weak, imho. Collins’ other series (Underland Chronicles), on the other hand, had a perfect conclusion because it was pretty vague and you could imagine the MC doing all kinds of things, sad or happy. I like vague conclusions, I guess. The Giver has a vague conclusion / no real conclusion and I like that Lois Lowry left the book open-ended.
This is a tricky question. I like it when problem is solved or concluded (or at least it is on its way to be concluded) in the books. Especially in series. But I do not require HEA or epilogue. I am okay with open endings, but I require some hints to be satisfied. If it makes sense…
I find this sort of book incredibly frustrating, even if it’s good and well-written, because… well, because it’s not why I read fiction. I deal with anxiety on a fairly regular basis. I’ve gotten better at dealing with it over the years. But I need to reinforce my underlying optimism, the belief that things can work out, which my anxiety constantly threatens to undermine. Thus, I prefer to read fiction that ends well. It gives me hope; on some deep level it helps counter the anxiety.
I think you’re right. These books don’t have a conclusion because their theme is a current problem that has yet to be resolved. It emphasizes the story itself and raises some interesting questions. Usually it asks the hard questions, the ones that depress us and we shy away from thinking about. I’m not sure if I’ve read a book like that. But I’ve seen movies like that.
I did see the Boy in Striped Pajamas (I couldn’t find the book anywhere and I was so dying to read, I had to settle for the movie). It’s tragic and open ended. But it portrayed the reality of what happened during the war, and also that the thinking that caused this war was unnatural since in the other boy’s innocence he didn’t understand what was happening to the boy in “striped pajamas” (forgive me I forget their names).
I love this discussion!
I had to read this because I was like ‘Well of course they do!!’ buuut you persuaded me. I totally see your point with Boy in the Striped Pyjamas!
Actually I kind of felt that/this way with EVERY DAY by David Levithan. It just totally didn’t have the ending that I was expecting it was really an ending cause his/her circumstances didn’t ultimately change. But of course there was a point..and that’s the point – sometimes there really is no ending. Sometimes you don’t get a conclusion things just keep going.
Have you read Every Day by David Levithan? I’ve just finished it and got to the ending and shouted nooooooo! It wasn’t really a conclusion for me, which was annoying. (Good book though.) A book doesn’t really need a complete conclusion, I suppose, but it’s nice for the reader when it does.
I haven't read Every Day. 🙁 But I do want to…although, hehe, now consider me warned about it's indefinite conclusion. 😉
Oh god these can be the best and the worst types of books. I admit it breaks my heart when a book is just so dark and doesn’t give you that hope, or feeling of fixing the problem. They just crush your heart to pieces with no apparent gain to balance out that pain. But it’s the best kind of ripping your heart out. The strength of the emotion is the reason I read anyway.
It makes sense, sadly, not for my poor heart though 🙁 I hate it when the book doesn’t have the conclusion that I wanted, BUT IT’S NOT MY CHOICE 🙁 And you’re right, that is the point. Life doesn’t conclude sometimes. We would like to, but it doesn’t
AWESOME DISCUSSION THING CAIT 😀
YES I AGREE!!!! Okay The easiest one to probably talk about at the moment is The Fault in our Stars for me. It has a sort of story line, but it’s more about an exploration of a theme or topic or the development of a character rather than adventure then a happily ever after. And sometimes books without proper endings actually are more powerful, because they remind the reader that the story is still going, that it’s happening in the real world. It can be really powerful when you are left to wonder at the circumstances that the characters are in ad everyone has different interpretations of what they think, hence the fanfictions that always get written to give the characters a happy ending. And I think that’s great because it then reflects that people understand the unfairness or the cruelty or the unresolved-ness that occurs in books just as it happens in places around the world in real life.
Okay wow I’ve turned my Literature student brain on. OOPS!!!! I always do this! My bad!
GREAT DISCUSSION POST CAIT!!! xoxo
For me it really truly depends on the book. I think that in general, I am unhappy with books that lack a resolution because happy or not, the story needs to have a stopping point. The characters can go on existing in a fictional world, but the story needs to end. That being said, I think that there is a big difference between having a conclusion, and having an ’emotionally satisfying’ conclusion. Sometimes you finish a book, and everything is all wrapped up in a perfect little bow and you are confident that your characters are happy. Sometimes you read a book and your characters get to a comfortable landing spot but it might not be all that ideal (Since You’ve Been Gone comes to mind) but they are still okay. And then sometimes, you read a book, and in the end the characters are still in a terrible position. Probably not he same one that they were in at the beginning of the book, but their lives are not magically fixed. It is those sort of endings that I think people struggle with, not because they are ‘truly unsatisfying’ as a read, but because they sort of drain the magic out of reading a fictional book. Reading a book with a non-happy ending is often messy. Messy and sad and all of your empathy is all worked up towards these characters and suddenly the book feels real. And when a book feels real it doesn’t feel like fiction. It feels like life, which is messy, life is sad, and life doesn’t come with happy endings. I find as a reader that these can be some of my favorite books because there is a certain beauty in the rawness of real life. However, I understand that there are some people in the world who do not enjoy that sort of read.
This was such an interesting post! All of the questions that were posed were thought provoking.
U have.
I have a hard time with books without a true ending. It leaves me frustrated and wondering why I even read the book. Series cliffhanger books don’t really annoy me as much as standalones with no conclusion, but I do still find them frustrating.
No. I don’t think that books really need conclusions.
But. I think the book needs to be a really well-written one AND concern a topic, that is allowed to have no conclusion. I’ve read some bad-written Selfpublished e-Books and usually the most lacking thing was a missing conclusion. But the weren’t mind-ripping or thrilling either. Sometimes they didn’t even have a proper plot… so I think a conclusionless book is clearly allowed… if it has everything else.