The End is Only Beginning

Take a look at these endings. Which do you think work best? Notice how different genres have different styles of endings. I'm enjoying tearing books off the shelf and carefully reading the last lines. When I read a book for pleasure I am so immersed in the story, I don't notice how the writer has been leading me along.

1) "Never you mind, honey," she said quietly, reaching under the jacket and carefully straightening out the collar, "Honey, never you mind..." Larry McMurtry, The Last Picture Show.
Listen to the rhythm in that ending! Even if you don't know the characters, their relationship is plain as day. McMurtry is considered "general" fiction, which means essentially, he was writing westerns extremely well, so the "general" public read his books, and he was no longer "genre." Sometimes it's who reads you that defines what genre your book is, not what genre you write!

2) Her hand tightened on his until her finger nails dug into his skin, and she said:
"O.K.,Bert. To hell with her!"
"Goddamn it,that's what I want to hear! Come on, we got each other haven't we? Let's get stinko."
"Yes--let's get stinko."--James M. Cain, Mildred Pierce.
No question that this is one hard-boiled noir mystery, is it? It was written in 1941; hence the slang. I imagine it must have been quite edgy at the time.

3) "As he peered ahead into the great land that stretched before him, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright, and he somehow felt he was headed in the right direction." E.B. White, Stuart Little.
I love how the landscape reflects Stuart's optimism. Setting really is a useful tool for conveying character and mood. This ending also is open to further books. (Remember, if you want to write a sequel, don't end like Hamlet. ) Do you remember how the first Harry Potter book ended with Harry considering how much fun he was going to have with Dudley that summer, teasing him with the threat of magic? Sequel-city.

4) "They would listen to each other's voices and they would breathe each other's breath. And they would wait for that power that would pull them like a chain into whatever came next, into that distant world where broken souls were wrenched out of their histories." Kevin Brockmeier, The Brief History of the Dead.
The end really starts a few sentences back, but I didn't want to spoil the plot if haven't read it. Literary fiction, wouldn't you say? You can really hear that omniscient narrator putting in his two cents. If you write literary fiction, you get more latitude to be introspective. Unfortunately, you probably can't have as many car chases or weapons. Ah, the sacrifices of style!

I've been giving Romances too little attention, so I think I'll head to the used book store and today and grab a few. From what I hear, they tend to have happy endings. Good. Cynicism is over-rated.