All neat and tidy?

    "When I was writing my first thriller," says Guy Walters, "my editor was insistent that I tied up all the loose ends in the final chapter. To do so, she argued, would bring the type of ending that was satisfying for the reader. At the time, I baulked – and I still do – because I do not think it necessarily the job of writers to bring satisfaction. But her point was fair. People do want closure, and they want it badly."

    If you read the rest of that article you'll see that the context in which the above point is made is the disappearance of flight MH370, but taking that paragraph in isolation, I wondered what your views were: are you a reader who likes the loose ends tied up at the close of a book? Always assuming there is not a sequel in the offing, do you typically crave that sense of 'satisfaction' which the editor felt the novel should engender? I can see why the writer might hold a different view, but I, for one, do like a neat finish with all ends woven in.

    Any thoughts?

 

(On a related note, see this piece on 'true ends' and happy endings.)

Comments

[Jane Jazz]

I tend to agree with you about a neat finish - but while carefully weaving all mine in, I am always aware that you can't please everyone, and just as many people will be disgruntled at finding no loose ends to play with!

[Sue]

Definitely all loose ends woven well and truly in.

[jodi]

I met the author Sue Grafton at a book signing years ago and mentioned to her that I really liked one of her books in the Kinsey Milhone series. And I liked the ending that was tied up neatly at the end. She thanked me saying that she liked it also but a lot of people did not. Unfortunately I can't remember which book it was.

[jodi]

I meant to say not tied up neatly at the end.

[Barbara]

Yes, yes, yes. I'm always disappointed by an ambiguous ending.

[Claire]

No, I think I like art to reflect life, I don't mind loose ends.

[Joan Kyler]

I like a good ending. I think it's part of a writer's job to continue a story to the end. Even in life, most events or episodes have some sort of ending, even if only temporarily. Ambiguous endings often seem to me as if the writer couldn't figure out an ending himself / herself and just stopped writing, leaving the reader to try to figure it out. I'm a lazy reader. I want the author to tell me the whole story.

[Freda]

I agree with Joan - I want the whole story please! I feel a bit cheated otherwise.

[MOIRA OLIVER]

The satisfaction of a great read with a great ending, no loose ends , otherwise I feel cheated.

[Dark Puss]

Yes of course - no absolutely not! How interesting that you pose the question. It depends on the type of book, the type of writer and their relative skill etc. I take each book as it comes and some have been really spoiled by having all the loose sends tied up (usually in a final chapter that sits uneasily with the rest of the book)and some books would be the poorer without it. I'm with Claire!

[LizF]

It really does depend on the book but I far prefer an 'open' ending to one which rushes to tie up the loose ends in a final chapter which, as Dark Puss says, sits uneasily with the rest of the book.
I can think of a couple of books which I had been enjoying immensely until the rushed last chapter left me feeling rather disappointed and dissatisfied.

[Jade]

Gone With The Wind is one of my favourite books. I think that one of the reasons for its constant appeal is the open ending. It begs the reader to continue thinking about the book after one has finished reading, and lets the characters live on in your mind.
That said, there are all sorts of different 'loose ends tied up' endings. I don't at all mind the happy-ever-after ending of Pride and Prejudice but the awful epilogue tacked onto the end of HP and the Deathly Hallows was just depressing (the stars, they're just like us...).