I love it when a story takes an unexpected turn. Oh, not my story. Goodness knows mine plunge over the cliff about ninety percent of the time. And it's anybody's guess where they'll end up.
But I do love it when some other author pulls off that surprise, when it's a sucker punch I never saw coming. Have you ever read a book or seen a movie that caught you flat-footed...you know where you had to go back to look for the clues you missed?
No Way Out was a movie like that. I remember the first time I watched it my jaw just dropped at the end. Then I had to watch it again to see exactly what I missed. It was pretty slick.
I also love a particular one of Linda Howard's books that has the best all-time surprise ending. I smile every time I think about it.
What about you? Do you like really startling surprises and twists in your books? Or would you rather be able to figure out how it's going to end?
If it's a happy ending I'm okay with a surprise. If it's something off the wall shocking or sad...not so much. :)
ReplyDeleteI love a good surprise, but not a tragic one. If something comes out of the blue, I may have to go back and reread just to see where that came from. And it'll deepen my appreciation for the story.
ReplyDeleteBut if it's tragic, crazy tragic, it may turn me off to the whole story. (In movies The English Patient and Project X come to mind.)