What Makes a Good Ending
Authentic endings and, of course, book banning news
Unsatisfactory endings
I’ve been thinking about story endings a lot lately. So often, I’m dissatisfied with them. And I always think, well, this person got the attention of an agent and was published by a fair-sized (i.e., not micro) press, so you, Victoria, must be a weirdo.
Still, I think pulling off a satisfying end to a novel is even harder than keeping the reader’s interest through the long middle.
A few years ago, I participated in an online book club for people who had been to an online conference. It was run by a super literary citizen, an agent who consistently gives back to the writing community in loving and useful ways. Clearly someone who knows what goes into a manuscript that finds a publisher.
The book the agent chose was full of relationship drama and well-paced. The writing was beautiful, the characterization was interesting and believable. And then there was the climax. A smallish woman pushes a man—a man who was not the main antagonist (who, disappointingly, seemed to have disappeared from the story)—from a high place to his death.
The day of the book discussion, the leader came in and out of breakout groups. When they were in my group, the discussion was around the structure of the novel. But when they left, something interesting happened. The discussion centered on how dissatisfying the end of the novel was. It was like everyone was afraid to mention this while the agent was in the room because that agent had worked hard (and for no pay) to pull this discussion together. But literally everyone hated the novel’s ending. No one believed it. We were all people looking for an agent, so we might assume none of us knew how to end a novel. But we were also a room full of avid readers, so I doubt that was a valid conclusion.
About a year later, the agent had another book club for writers. Again, the idea was to see how a published author structures a novel. And again the chosen work was full of relationship drama and well-paced. The writing was beautiful, the characterization was interesting and believable. And then there was the climax. A smallish, fairly unhealthy (smokes, is super anxious and not eating much or well) woman pushes a man to his death from a great height. I didn’t believe it. Nor did I believe the protagonist’s naïveté at the end concerning the man she had desired all her life. I didn’t attend the discussion this time. I figured I was on a different page.
Endings of books I’ve recently read
If you’d like a few specific examples with titles, here are some novels I read or listened to recently. (They are incredibly popular, so my thinking that any of them has an imperfection is not going to change that.)
Those We Thought We Knew by David Joy: I loved so much about this book in both the writing and the story. The multiple close third-person POVs, the community, the long harbored underlying racism which breaks into the sunlight after a Confederate statue is vandalized, the Black community always facing underlying threats that break into violence and tragedy.
My only issue is with the end. This is a murder (and attempted murder) mystery. I was shocked that three important POV characters ended up in the situations they did. But—good job because at the same time, this was very realistic in the way fiction is sometimes afraid to be. Ultimately, through, I didn’t believe the end of the book—that is, I didn’t believe that one of the criminals (a murderer) would have done what they did based on their reason for doing it. So I was disappointed. But this book is one of Vanity Fair’s favorites of 2023. And I want to recommend it to someone in my writing workshop who is struggling with POV as it is a fantastic example of how to pull that together. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Maid by Nita Prose: I loved the quirky protagonist and how her misunderstanding of social cues drives the action and gets her in trouble, but also gets her out of trouble in this murder mystery. I didn’t believe the end, but it was satisfying, so I thought about why this is so. I like this in the same way I like the movie Forest Gump. There are important points being made—in this case about the working poor, inequity, and social class—but the action becomes more surreal in the second half. How the novel wraps up is preposterous, but I was invested in a win for the protagonist by that time (which speaks to the craft of the author, her skills in characterization). So when the protagonist has wins stacked one on top of the other, I had a good chuckle. I slipped back twenty years into a “You go, girl!” moment.
Family, Family by Laurie Frankel: Previously, I’d read two other Frankel novels to see if they were good ‘comp’ novels for the one I’m writing. They aren’t, but I enjoyed them both because they weren’t overly dramatic. The action seemed very real, the problems were complicated but common enough that most readers could relate. The characterization was great.
Recently, Frankel was interviewed on the podcast The Shit No One Tells You about Writing. ( I’m guessing most writers who are querying know about this podcast, but if you don’t, it’s well worth the listen.) She talked about Family, Family as a novel that engages with adoption in a positive way rather than looking at it as a sad last choice. Having loved her other books, I bought the audiobook for Family. Many of the events happen in a way that requires very good luck and excellent coincidental timing (a few examples are a girl having a baby the summer after her senior year in high school so it doesn’t affect her life goals, and then having another one the summer after she graduates from college so, again, she moves on with her life goals).
I was satisfied with the end even though it didn’t feel like something that would happen for most people. I think that’s because the protagonist is both talented and lucky. While she’s not an everyday person, she represents a certain type of real person—one who despite her good fortune has everyday problems to solve in parenting her kids. Her fears are both realistic and relatable. Her kids are precocious, but then, some kids are.
So, why am I satisfied with the end of some of the above books and not others?
Short answer: authenticity. This isn’t necessarily the same as reality based. If the genre is sci-fi, fantasy, satire, humor, etc., the novel might depart from reality quickly and never return. But if the end is consistent with the overall work, I think the readers will be satisfied.
So—no, author, you are not allowed to get tired and throw the bad guy out a window; you cannot toss him off a cliff so you can quit the story. Sorry.
Some help with endings
I think this Writer Unboxed post by Kathryn Craft speaks to the problem of endings and POVs as well as a few other issues. (NB: Writer Unboxed is an email newsletter delivered daily and has many talented authors and agents who share the work of posting. Lots of good ideas—subscribe for all sorts of free writing advice. Highly recommended.)
has a Substack with lots of good advice. The link below is to the first of a set of free posts on endings. Very useful. In fact, you should subscribe for all sorts of good advice. I’ve read three of her novels—The Great Believers, I Have Some Questions for You, and The Borrowers. She’s a wonderful writer and great at endings!
What are some novels you think had perfect endings? I’ll go first: A Widow for One Year by John Irving. The first line is the last line. I knew it would be, I was joyfully waiting for it. It arrived.
Other Recommendations
Lenz’s Men Yell at Me has a dingus of the week, which I enjoy reading. In a few days, her new book This American Ex-wife is coming out (available for preorder). I became interested in Lenz because of her evangelical background (I’m always on the lookout for patriarchy and cultishness in religion). Her book promises to discuss these topics as well as her escape from that life.
Library News Book Censorship News
I didn’t post last week, so I have lots of worthy news this week, much of it good!
The ABCs of Book Banning | Oscar-Nominated Documentary Short Film This is wonderful because it features so many students—the young people themselves discussing why they need the books that are being banned. Please watch it!
In a letter to the editor, Ashley Hope Pérez discusses the recent Rockingham County Public Schools book ban which included her book "OUT OF DARKNESS".
Pushback against Moms for Liberty book banning.
Parents and teachers advocate against ‘Lock Up Librarians Bill’
Visit Philadelphia giving out banned books for Black History Month
Cast as Criminals, America’s Librarians Rally to Their Own Defense
Not so good news
Pressed by Moms for Liberty, Florida school district adds clothing to illustrations in classic children's books (Even if you’re busy, you need to read this one. It’s crazy.)
Oregon lawmaker’s ‘simple’ attempt to push back against book bans becomes culture war flash point
Victoria, one of the things I like about you is that you’re not afraid to mention what intergalactically acclaimed books don’t do it for you. One of my favorite reasons to meet someone for dinner is to get to the book recommendation swapping portion. I’ll often say, “well everyone but me loves this best-selling novel, so you should probably give it a go.”
I’m also frothing at the mouth/ experiencing pre-dread for any conflicted feelings or fights I’ll pick with my husband after reading The American Ex-wife. I share your fondness for books about cults and religious extremism - my all-time favorite is Escape by Carolyn Jessop.
Endings are hard for me. Once I got a personalized rejection for a short story with the feedback, “We just wanted a little more from the main character at the end.”
So did I! Only I didn’t have any better ideas so I had to stick with the donut thing.