Overheard a couple arguing about the end of 'The Giver' at the coffee shop

I was grabbing a coffee in Burlington yesterday and this pair at the next table were really going at it. One person was sure the ending was hopeful, the other was convinced it was a downer. The line I heard was, 'He's just dreaming in the snow, it's obvious!' It made me realize how much a book's ending can split a group. What's the most divided your club has ever been on how a story wrapped up?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas_roberts14d ago

What if the ending was meant to be both at the same time?

reese_bell14d ago

Both at the same time" is the whole point, that's why it works. She's a monster who wins, and he's a loser who's trapped, and the book makes you sit in that awful truth. It's not a puzzle to solve, it's a bad feeling to sit with.

gibson.sean14d ago

My buddy's book club almost broke up over the Gone Girl ending. Half thought Amy was a genius, the other half wanted to burn the book. It got so heated he just sat there eating chips. Maybe @thomas_roberts is onto something with both things being true at once. Ever see a group fight that hard over an ending?