So I just finished reading all four of the books currently released in the Georgina Kincaid Series by Richelle Mead, Succubus Blues, Succubus on Top, Succubus Dreams and Succubus Heat and I am seriously HEARTBROKEN!!! It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but this series has me ready to go bawling. And... it's making me wonder about happy endings.
A certain author who shall not be named has stated over and over again that she believes in and can only write happy endings and anyone who has read any of her books can easily see that. And I'm going to put it out there, I like happy endings. I need happy endings...but I don't need over-the-top everything is sugar and sweet happy endings, especially at the cost of the plot, characters, theme and tones set forth in a series or story, which unnamed author is pretty guilty of doing.
I think there can be a middle ground. If I Stay is a perfect example, it's heartbreaking, heartwrenching, you need a box of tissues to read it, but...it's hopeful at the end, so is every Harry Potter (yes even though Fred died and I still miss him).
But then again what if the characters or plot or themes lend themselves to a tragic ending. I know the theory behind tragedy and catharsis, but I'm not feeling any right now, just sad. Although, I almost can't see the books ending any other way, ok well maybe a little differently. I'm trying to remember that there are like 3 more books in the series, so its not over yet...but AUUUGH!
So this was sort of a rambling and possibly non-sensical entry, but I'm a little grief stricken over fictional characters so give me some slack.
But what do you want to read? Are you looking for a happy ending? Or are you looking to get lost in the characters and stories come what may? Ok, discuss.
As a reader, I love what I call "optimistic" endings. Everything doesn't have to have a cherry on top, but I like to believe that the future of the characters I've become invested in for hundreds of pages has some hope. People can die, lives can be miserable, but I crave that one glimmer of possibility, my silver lining as the case may be. As a writer, I try to offer the same thing to my readers. I don't see it as a cop-out, because the ending will likely not be ideal, but I feel like a little bit of hope is realistic. (Although, that's my outlook in life, so pessimists are welcomed to contradict me.) One of my favorite examples is Gone with the Wind --- I was bawling, furious that Scarlett FINALLY realized she loved Rhett, but he's like "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" (so much better than "too late, babe") and then Margaret Mitchell ended with Scarlett's famous line: "Tomorrow is another day." And through my tears, I believed she and Rhett would be together because through hundreds of pages, whenever Scarlett was passionate and determined, she always got her man.
ReplyDeleteWow, I still need to read that. I agree, a glimmer of hope at the least is necessary-kind of in line with my middle ground, you can tear me to pieces, but as long as I feel things will be ok.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe in a series, things are different. The glimmer of hope in a continual story is meant for the final book in a series, though I'd say Harry Potter is a good example of each book ending with some hope-that things might be ok, though the fight is definitely not over.
I just read some of Richelle's LJ archives and she was saying how a beta reader didn't even want to keep reading after a certain scene because he was sure things were so screwed up nothing could fix it and he couldn't bear anymore. And Richelle was like I didn't see the big deal bc I knew things would work out. So maybe she is hiding the happy from us right now. But in the mean time, Damn I want my glimmer!