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My book club friends always avoid sad endings, but I seek them out

Sad stories make our talks way more real and interesting.
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3 Comments
jamie_clark
jamie_clark1mo agoTop Commenter
Ever tried slipping in something like "The Road" or "A Little Life" to see how they react? Those endings stick with you for days and actually give you something real to talk about. Maybe frame it as wanting to discuss how the characters handled their tough situations, not just the sadness itself. What's the worst that could happen, they get a little uncomfortable? Sometimes that's where the best talks come from.
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piper696
piper6961mo ago
Actually, framing it like @jamie_clark said about discussing how characters handle things is so smart! Another angle is that a sad ending can make you sit with the story way longer, you know? A happy wrap-up lets you close the book and move on, but a tough one makes you really think it over. Even if they just end up complaining about how sad it was, that's still a stronger reaction than just saying something was "nice"!
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william_wood
Never Let Me Go wrecked me for a week, and @jamie_clark is right about those talks.
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