This week's Booking Through Thursday question comes in two parts:
Who doesn't? If you like only straightforward narratives and pat endings then you're not so much of a reader as a plot consumer. I love Dan Simmons and Neal Stephenson and Susanna Clarke and a whole raft of challenging and rewarding novelists. Now there are credible surprise endings an there are, um, less credible ones. When a book seems to be built around only a surprise ending, it usually fails to work for me. That's fun in short stories, but novels? Not so much. Never really did get over that stupid icicle thing in The Lovely Bones.
2. What book with a surprise ending is your favorite? Or least favorite?
Favorite surprise ending: Penguin by Polly Dunbar
Most recent least favorite trick ending was from a generally good book: Shutter Island (which I doubt will be improved by the addition of Leo D. in the flick).
