Books With Open Endings That We Loved (& Hated) | A.S. Byatt, Gone Girl & More
Some books leave you wanting more, and others leave you desperately searching for some kind of resolution. In this episode of the Book Jar Podcast, Marissa and Megan discuss all the books they loved (and a few they didn't love) that have ambiguous, open endings. Includes some spoilers.
The podcast opens with our usual discussion about our most recent reads. Marissa discusses several novels, including her first Colleen Hoover read, and Megan dives into her newfound love for Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe. Other recent reads include The Weight of Sand by Edith Blais, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, and Persuasion by Jane Austen.
From there, our readers dive into this week's topic. Marissa opens the discussion with a strong opinion on why open-ended novels can be the most amazing experience, while Megan argues for why she often avoids them. And, despite that, the readers start with a great contemporary example of an ambiguously ended story: Joan He's The Ones We're Meant to Find.
Marissa goes on to discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and both Megan and Marissa discuss John Green's novel Looking for Alaska and why this ambiguous ending is vital to the characters in the story. Megan brings up Ann Brashares' novel, My Name is Memory, which is technically an unfinished series that left a lot of questions for the readers. Marissa counters with Zadie Smith's book, White Teeth, which imagines the potential ending for its characters without confirming anything. Megan finishes her list with Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key and Joan He's Descendant of the Crane, while Marissa laments about her favourite short story writer, A.S. Byatt.
In the end, the two bookish podcasters make promises for their upcoming reads and draw their next topic from the book jar.
Want your question featured on our podcast? DM us your question on Insta and we'll add it to the book jar.
From there, our readers dive into this week's topic. Marissa opens the discussion with a strong opinion on why open-ended novels can be the most amazing experience, while Megan argues for why she often avoids them. And, despite that, the readers start with a great contemporary example of an ambiguously ended story: Joan He's The Ones We're Meant to Find.
Marissa goes on to discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and both Megan and Marissa discuss John Green's novel Looking for Alaska and why this ambiguous ending is vital to the characters in the story. Megan brings up Ann Brashares' novel, My Name is Memory, which is technically an unfinished series that left a lot of questions for the readers. Marissa counters with Zadie Smith's book, White Teeth, which imagines the potential ending for its characters without confirming anything. Megan finishes her list with Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key and Joan He's Descendant of the Crane, while Marissa laments about her favourite short story writer, A.S. Byatt.
In the end, the two bookish podcasters make promises for their upcoming reads and draw their next topic from the book jar.
Want your question featured on our podcast? DM us your question on Insta and we'll add it to the book jar.
**Some spoilers in the episode for the following books**
- Joan He's The Ones We're Meant to Find
- Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl
- John Green's Looking for Alaska
- John Green's Paper Towns
- Ann Brashares My Name is Memory
- Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key
- Joan He's Descendant of the Crane