Julia Barrett's World

Happily Ever Afters

(Julia) Typically, literary fiction does not require a happily ever after. For that matter, there is no requirement that literary fiction have a definite ending, period. On the other hand, when it comes to genre fiction, romance in particular, a happily ever after or a happy for now is de rigueur. It’s not only readers who demand a happy ending, publishers of romance require it. Is it necessary for the author of a romance novel to wrap up a story in pretty paper and tie it with a neat little bow? Is this always what readers want? Is there an audience for a romantic story with an ambiguous ending?

(Rebecca) This is a bit of a chicken and egg question, because most readers would say that it cannot be called a romance unless it has a happily-ever-after ending, however I think we romance fans are softening on this hard stance. I think a lot of fans are after “slow simmer” romances that evolve over several installments, and I hope this trend continues, but it does mean that authors need some freedom to end books on break-ups, fuck-ups, and all manner of grand miscommunications.

(Julia) Urban fantasy is an example of a sub-genre that often crosses over into the romance, yet it allows for some ambiguity in the same way literary fiction does. Why? In the end, when a series is spent, must every urban fantasy meet it’s happily ever after as well?

(Rebecca) By taking cover under the popularity of urban fantasy, I think some romance writers have found the freedom they need to craft their stories without committing to a hard and fast happily-ever-after ending on every single book.

Two successful examples of “slow simmer” romances come to mind: Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series and Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunters series. In both series the first installment has everything a die-hard romance fan could ask for, but both books end with the couple separated somehow (sorry, I’m trying not to be spoilerish!). To see the couple reunited, we had to wait for book two, and I don’t know about you, but I had to read the second installment in these series ASAP.

To answer your last question above, yes, I think most fans expect urban fantasy series to end on a high note, even if every book in between is filled with doom and gloom. If you want to piss off your fan-base, take them on a roller coaster ride, and then drop the couple off a cliff at the end. No one will be pleased.

(Julia) So, in other words, a series provides an author a little more freedom to create conflict, in a sense, delay gratification for her characters, yet the audience can still anticipate a satisfying resolution for the main parties involved? This usually means a cliffhanger. I’ve heard many readers complain about cliffhangers, especially when they have to wait a year or longer for the next installment. So the obvious question is, how do you feel about cliffhangers?

(Rebecca) I think some authors go overboard with cliffhangers and that’s where the disgruntled fans come in. I recall having a bad reaction to the ending in Glass Houses by Rachel Caine. It’s the first book in her Morganville Vampires series, and it literally ends in the middle of a pivotal moment. I can quote the last sentence without being spoilerish (I think), and you tell me if you’d like to see a book end right here: “They all screamed as the knife came down.”

That’s the last sentence! I have to buy the next book to find out what happens, and I never did because it left such a bad taste in my mouth. I felt like the author was toying with me, and not in a good way.

So no, that’s not my preferred kind of cliffhanger, but that’s not to say they’re all bad. I think the best writers close books in the lull before the storm. There needs to be some sense of closure and peace at the end of each book, but there also needs to be a premonition that trouble is brewing on the horizon. It’s a tricky thing to pull off. Think Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back. Luke just got his butt kicked by his *gasp* father, and he’s on the medical ship being fitted for a fake hand. The final shot of that film is like a breather between what has happened, and what will come. It’s the perfect balance between closure and anticipation.

(Julia) I like that concept…a moment of peace in between story installments, or story arcs, sort of a brief intermission. Two things leave a bad taste in my mouth as well - a story that ends in the middle of the action or the climax, forcing me to wait for the author to pick up the action according to the publisher’s or the author’s timetable, or remaining loyal to a series for the long haul, only to have the characters come to a tragic end, or perhaps worse…run out of steam.

Thanks so much for being my guest, Rebecca!

(Rebecca) It was a pleasure Julia. Thanks for inviting me to stand on your soap box.

You can read more of Rebecca’s opinions, reviews and thoughts on her site, Dirty Sexy Books: http://dirtysexybooks.com/