Nearing the end of this novel, I ask

my son to join me for a post-Thanksgiving Day walk. We choose the path that will take us down thin, tree-lined roads, past converted barns, near a field set aside for birds, a stream.  I tell him about the novel, how much it has changed.  I tell him how close I am to writing the ending, at last.  I say that the book will conclude on one of three images, and after explaining each one, he says:



"Well.  The literary critics would probably want you to end the book in an ambiguous place.  But if you want to succeed commercially with the book, you might want to think about being more direct."