Serious question, our club read a book with a really dark ending last month.

We read 'The Road' for our May meeting, and half the group felt the bleakness was artistically necessary, while the rest, including me, argued it was just emotionally draining without enough payoff. This led to a pretty heated debate over whether a book's ending needs to offer some hope to be satisfying. Where do you all stand on grim versus hopeful conclusions?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_owens751mo ago

Honestly it feels like a bigger life thing, like how we handle bad news. Maybe it's just me but I need a little light with the dark to make it feel real, not just sad. Otherwise it's like the story doesn't trust me to get the point.

valp721mo ago

Totally agree with @jordan_owens75, that's exactly how I felt after finishing that book.

hugo_singh9d ago

Nah, sometimes the dark stuff on its own hits harder and feels more honest. @jordan_owens75 wants a little light, but real life doesn't always hand you that.