Recommendation Request: but I don't want to have to spell it out...

[Keith]

I have been looking for some recommendations of books that have an ambiguous or hotly debated/discussed conclusion. I love films that leave the interpretation of the ending or the resolution of the story completely in the hands of the audience to puzzle out. I have recently watched a Russian film called "The Return" which I think perfectly inhabits that nebulous territory in storytelling where enough clues are included in the story to keep you engaged, while still leaving the resolution mysterious enough to have a few good debates over. The best thing about this film is that it isn't a horror film, a genre that I think has a monopoly on endings like these.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

[[deleted user]]

The Grapes of Wrath

[Ann]

OOh! Sounds like a great idea for a podcast if we can think of enough examples.

The book that immediately pops into my mind is Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD.

[[deleted user]]

Oryx and Crake (by Margaret Atwood)

[Keith]

The story that got me thinking about this was "The Swimmer" by John Cheever. Perhaps that deserves a separate thread. I also thought of "The New York Trilogy" by Paul Auster and also his book "Invisible" which kind of takes place around an event that may not have happened.

Some others are: "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy; "Drood" by Dan Simmons and "White Noise"(?) by Don DeLillo, its been a few years since I read that one, but I remember it ending with a weird passage about the couple's boy crossing a highway and being confused, great book though.

[Loretta]

The Gargoyle perhaps? Though, I'm not sure I'm actually recommending it because I seemed to love this book a lot less than many people seem to.

[[deleted user]]

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.

[Ashley]

I second the recommendation of Blood Meridian. There's also books like The Awakening by Kate Chopin and the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman that I think have clear cut endings, but when I taught them, my students always wanted to argue for a different reading.

[Michael]

Keith, I did not read the book but the film Winter's Bone is a perfect example of what you are looking for.

[Callie]

The Giver, by Lois Lowry. The end is totally up for grabs, in terms of interpretation. The 2 follow-ups, Gathering Blue and Messenger, aren't as good in my opinion, and they do kind of clear up the confusion, so I recommend sticking with the first one.

[Ashley FL]

Callie, I am told that Lois Lowry gave an interview in which she clarified the ending of "The Giver", but I reject that notion!!

Two that come to mind for me are:

Midwives I've had two different book clubs read this book and both times we debated the ending for hours!!

Shutter Island Personally I found the ending somewhat ambiguous. On reading more about it, I gather there is a generally accepted ending. But I still think it fits.

[Don]

Life of Pi. I heard an interview with Margaret Atwood about this book. There are two versions of what happened and she asked the question, "Which story do you want to believe, Which story is most useful in your life." That question reframed the book for me.

[[deleted user]]

I loved Life of Pi.

[Keith]

It seems to me like there are three different kinds of ambiguity in literature. First, is the straightforward unresolved, or questioned narrative or narrator (Drood, Shutter Island). Second, is the ambiguity that is there to establish a mood and has little or no bearing on the narrative (the chemical cloud in White Noise, The "event" at the beginning of The Road). Third, is the metaphysical story that calls into question, not only the entire narrative and how it can/should be read, but also establishes a mood in which the story must be understood (The Metamorphosis, I am blanking on another example).
I guess I am looking for more of the first category and some easy/fun reading. Any specific suggestions for a more specific request? Thanks.

[Loretta]

@ Keith: As said above, I didn't LOVE it (though I did like it), but I think The Gargoyle fits what you're looking for. I don't want to give anything away, but the reader is essentially given two options for understanding/interpreting the narrative, and it's not particularly metaphysical about it--either one person is right with his version of the story, or the other one is, and you're left to decide which version of events you prefer. Plus, there are "clues" throughout that can support either argument (which is reminiscent of Inception, IMO).

I can't think of any other examples though.

[Ashley FL]

Definitely "Midwives" fits the first definition (I read the last page and thought, "Whoa!! What just happened?") and it is an easy read, but probably not "fun" in that it involves a woman who dies in childbirth and the aftermath as the midwife in attendance is brought up on charges.

I think "Life of Pi" is another one that fits -- my book club definitely argued how to interpret that one!

[Betsy]

The Lace Reader comes to mind. I read it in both paperback and audiobook and loved both versions. But even after reading it twice, I'm not sure how to interpret what happened.

[Keith]

I got "Midwives" and I have been circling "Life of Pi" for a while so I think I will read that after Midwives. The Gargoyle had now made my wishlist. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Kristin]

Life of Pi and Midwives both have ambiguous endings. And, they are both great reads!