The Perfect Ending
Occasionally I ponder over what makes the ending of a story "right." As I believe most people do, I tend to prefer a happy ending, but that doesn't mean I want all the pretty ribbons tied up tightly in a basket of sunshine. If it's too neat, I can't believe in it, no matter how awesome the rest of the story was.
Occasionally an unhappy or bittersweet ending is more appropriate than a happy one. Julie Czerneda's Survival broke my heart, but to do anything else at the end of that book would have made the whole thing fall flat. Czerneda ended the book in the only way that worked, happy or not. Likewise, Ian McEwan's Atonement would have been a sweet love story without that final chapter, but it's that twist ending which makes it truly memorable. (Ok, the part of my brain that's a sucker for happy endings mentally edits out that last chapter, but that doesn't prevent me from appreciating the punch it gives the whole rest of the story.)
So what makes for a good, satisfying ending? And is a cliffhanger ever the "right" way to end a story? Well, if there was a formula to create the perfect ending, I'll bet we'd get a lot fewer clunky ones tacked on to the end of otherwise good stories (Harry Potter, I'm looking at you). And hey, if that was true I'd have a whole lot less to whine about in reviews and no topic to write about this evening. But whether the ending is a big surprise twist or just the heroes deciding what to do with their lives now that the final battle is won, the ending has the difficult job of wrapping up all the loose ends of the rest of the story without seeming to do so, and finding a place to stop that leaves the audience with a sense of satisfaction. Happy ending or sad, the right ending gives you that feeling of "Aaaaah." Yes, that is the technical term.
So what are some of the most satisfying endings you've come across? Conversely, what stories have had the most disappointing or clunkiest endings in your opinion?
Occasionally an unhappy or bittersweet ending is more appropriate than a happy one. Julie Czerneda's Survival broke my heart, but to do anything else at the end of that book would have made the whole thing fall flat. Czerneda ended the book in the only way that worked, happy or not. Likewise, Ian McEwan's Atonement would have been a sweet love story without that final chapter, but it's that twist ending which makes it truly memorable. (Ok, the part of my brain that's a sucker for happy endings mentally edits out that last chapter, but that doesn't prevent me from appreciating the punch it gives the whole rest of the story.)
So what makes for a good, satisfying ending? And is a cliffhanger ever the "right" way to end a story? Well, if there was a formula to create the perfect ending, I'll bet we'd get a lot fewer clunky ones tacked on to the end of otherwise good stories (Harry Potter, I'm looking at you). And hey, if that was true I'd have a whole lot less to whine about in reviews and no topic to write about this evening. But whether the ending is a big surprise twist or just the heroes deciding what to do with their lives now that the final battle is won, the ending has the difficult job of wrapping up all the loose ends of the rest of the story without seeming to do so, and finding a place to stop that leaves the audience with a sense of satisfaction. Happy ending or sad, the right ending gives you that feeling of "Aaaaah." Yes, that is the technical term.
So what are some of the most satisfying endings you've come across? Conversely, what stories have had the most disappointing or clunkiest endings in your opinion?