On Endings

Although it's inspirational and kind of true in real life, this quote doesn't work in fiction life at all. Some types of fiction life, anyways. Some types are perfectly all right with HEAs (happily ever afters). But some books, though, sacrifice everything for the HEA, and that isn't cool. Let me explain:

A week or so ago, I read the final book in a trilogy. Throughout the second book, ever since the main couple had gotten together, there was always the question of "How are we going to be together?" This was because one was the heir to a dukedom, and, for complicated reasons, if he wanted to be with the girl, he'd have to give up the land we was 'so drawn to.' (insert the eye roll here). The guy had accepted the fact that he'd give up the land to be with the girl.

Fine, whatever. Cheesy and corny and whatever, but fine.

But at the end of the third book, as the father lays on his deathbed, he decides that he won't disinherit his son if he marries the girl. Then he dies, and the book ends.

This was my reaction:

WTH?? WTF???? You have got to be kidding me. -books flies across the room-

Rule number #2467 of writing: don't break a major rule for the sake of a happy ending. (And yes, that's a totally random number.) In this case, what prevented the guy from getting his land and his girl was his father. Two pages from the end, the father can't suddenly change his mind, all so the guy can get the girl and his land. It's just creating drama for the sake of creating drama, but when the drama needs to go away, it conveniently does so.

I know this is fiction, but not everything in real life ends happily. Your book doesn't need to, either. And even if it is a HEA, not every aspect has to end happily. A few loose threads and such create a deeper ending. 

I think what happened with this book was the fact that the author was so in love with the characters that she wanted them to have everything they ever wanted without sacrifice. But to break a rule like this two pages from the end is just cheating the reader.

And so that ending dropped the book's rating from a 4.5 to a 2.25.

Ending are important.