Why does my book club fight over the epilogue every single time

We read a thriller last month with a neat little wrap-up at the end, and three people walked out saying it ruined the whole story. I checked Goodreads after and saw 40% of reviews either loved or hated that same epilogue. It got me thinking: do epilogues actually help or do they just kill the mystery? Then the next book we tried had no epilogue and the same three people complained it felt unfinished. I honestly can't win. Has anyone else dealt with a group that splits hard on this one detail?

2 comments

2 Comments

grayh601d ago

Maybe the real issue isn't the epilogue itself but who the book club thinks the story actually belongs to at the end. Some people want the author to hand them a clear finish, while others feel like the story is theirs to imagine after they close the book. Did you ever try having everyone write their own epilogue before reading the real one?

perry.jessica3h ago

Held a different view on this before, but you might've just flipped a switch for me. I always thought the author owed us a clean ending, like that's their job as the storyteller. But getting everyone to write their own epilogue before seeing the real one sounds fun actually, like you get to claim part of the story for yourself. Might try that with my group next time, see if it stops the arguing over what the ending should've been.