Discussion: Expect the Unexpected

Saturday 15 November 2014

To put this in context, I recently read Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas which really got me good - I did NOT see that ending coming. At all. Having that 'big reveal' which was such a momentous surprise in itself sealed the deal for me in giving it 5 stars. When a book is able to 'wow' me like that, it's the best thing. I love a good thriller with twists and turns which you just can't see coming - but what if you did? What if -

You already knew what the twist was.

Dun Dun Duuuuuuun!

The question is: Do we revel in those moments where we, mere mortals - can read the future and tell what that big surprise was which was meant to stun and shock us before it even happens? Or - are we disappointed in the fact that we weren't duped enough?

For me, I almost never see the big reveal coming - maybe it's because my brain just isn't bothered to figure it out and analyse everything, or perhaps the author really was smart enough to pull the wool over my eyes. Either way, if a book has a twist, chances are I'm going to be surprised and wowed when I come to it. Even if I did see it coming and then it happened, I don't think it would affect my enjoyment of the book. If anything, it would feel good to be able to do this:



All things considered, the shock-factor could also come from how the novel itself is structured, and whether that reveal is at the beginning, middle or end.

Beginning: You know what the end result will be, but you don't know how the characters got there. These types of books usually skip between different times to tell the story and piece the puzzle together. 

Examples:
Think Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James, or Cooper Bartholomew is Dead, or even Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas. 

In terms of the thrill factor, it's maybe not as hard-hitting as a huge twist at the end, but these sorts of novels still can surprise you in the process of showing how everything all played out to their final devastating conclusions. 

Middle: All seems well in the first part, but then BAM! The story takes a whole new direction.

Examples:
Gone Girl is a perfect example of this technique.

Now 'Gone Girl' may be a special case - because it really does surprise in more ways than that major twist, but when it comes to the middle it can change everything you ever thought about the book. I really loved how I was jaw-dropping right at that moment when the truth of what's actually happening comes to light and I was left totally engrossed in the story from that point on.

End: This sort of twist right at the end usually leaves you with a 'OMG what just happened?!' feeling - and perhaps is the most shocking of all places to put the surprise in. 

Examples: 
Too many to choose, but We Were Liars, Dangerous Girls and The Annihilation of Foreverland all turn endings on their head and left me going:



So there you have it - my personal insight into the types of twists and turns with shocks in different places within the story. Each style has its own unique impact on us readers, and regardless - can deliver that wow factor which we're all looking for.

To finish off, here are some of my recommendations for books that have taught me to expect the unexpected:



What are some books where the twist shocked you, or you saw it coming? Any other thoughts on the topic?

22 comments :

  1. Cooper B is Dead just moved up my TBR. I LOVE when the reveal is at the beginning and we have to figure out how it happened. But then I love it at the end as well. Actually, I DID guess the ending of Dangerous Girls, but I was still shocked, if that makes sense.

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    1. I suppose it's one thing to figure it out, and other to actually read it playing out in the book - nice detective work there! Cooper B is Dead is also a fantastic read in its own right, hope you like it :)

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  2. I totally got shocked out of my braincells in both Dangerous Girls and Dangerous Boys and in We Were Liars and Cooper B. Ohhh. I LOVE TWISTS. I LOVE SHOCKERS! Except sometimes I do guess beforehand. I think I prefer the ultimate surprise. But then, maybe I read too much (and I also think like a writer) but even reading The Iron Trials there is a WOWZER of an ending. But I guessed it from like pg. 5. And I don't think it was obvious...I just...I thought "what would I, as a writer, do?" and I got it. o.O Weirdest feeling ever.

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    1. Nothing can beat the ultimate 'WOW WHAT!?' moments that only come every so often with those gems that can knock your socks off. If you think like a writer you're already halfway there to figuring out the mystery - maybe I might try that and put my book detective skills to work...

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  3. I just LOVE those twisty books, I just love it when authors construct the plot and storyline so well that we never see coming. It kind of appeals to the intellect in me cos a good thrill is when you're like oh, I can't believe I never saw it and there were signs!

    Thanks for the recs at the end as well, it makes me want to pick up Pandora Jones Admission which I borrowed from the library.

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    1. Exactly! It just makes you realise how smart these authors are to do this and weave the story around clues that we didn't even see were there. Hope you like Pandora Jones, it's not *exactly* a thriller, but there are some twists to watch out for.

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  4. Dangerous Girls almost killed me. I swore like a filthy mouthed sailor and felt like I'd been duped. It's one of the few that's completely shocked me, like We Were Liars as well. Even those where I can't guess what the twist is, I've become immune to that awe that comes with being blown away by a great read. It's going to become harder for authors to really shock us soon with the amount we all read, so I'm always looking for recommendations. Great post poppet, loved it! <3

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    1. I have to say Dangerous Girls and We Were Liars are definitely on par for me when it comes to thrill factor - they blew my mind. It's true that as we expose ourselves to more of these books we might get better at guessing the big reveals. Let's hope authors can still come up with these wow moments, though I have no doubt that we'll be seeing some more amazing thrillers being released soon enough! :)

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  5. I LOVE PLOT TWISTS. done well, they can be THE gamechanger, and having read many books, it's almost like my personal little challenge to see if i can "guess" that plot twist. so even if i did guess things before they happened, a good author will still keep me on the edge of my seat wondering the HOW more than the WHAT now. and if i can't guess... I WILL LOVE THIS BOOK TO NO END. it'll keep me up all day just looking back at all the little clues dropped throughout the book and kicking myself mentally for not seeing them earlier. love this post!! :)

    alicia @ noverly things

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    1. That's definitely true Alicia - a book can seem mediocre and then BAM - plot twist and it all gets so much better from there. These books really make you think, and that's part of the beauty of them. Thanks for stopping by :)

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  6. I've yet to meet a book that can shock me. And I'm a tad disappointed by that. But I can't blame the book. If anything, most of them are fantastic twists that have everyone going o_O but I'm just in the minority. I think it's because I grew up reading murder mysteries instead of fairy books and whatnot. And that really honed my ability to spot clues, details that one wouldn't think was important. I can't help it. I see specific things and they accumulate in my mind and create an ending for me and 10 times out of 10, my endings are correct. BUT I appreciate books that go for the twist. They're exciting, keeping everyone on their toes. I don't rate books down if they fail to surprise me because nothing fails to surprise me. I base it off how well the twist was, objectively, and how it fits into the book. Fantastic discussion! x

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    1. You'd make a great detective Jess! :) It's a talent at times to a) write the twists which the authors do, and b) guess them right. It's good that you can look at it in the context of the story though and see how well it was executed.

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  7. I pretty much always guess the twist before it happens. I figured out We Were Liars halfway through and then I was disappointed when I was right because I wanted to be shocked. I love mysteries though so I really do analyse every little detail and try and work out what I think will happen. Sometimes I can guess the ending and it doesn't really spoil the fun but other times I am annoyed that the author made things so obvious. I really liked Dangerous Boys and I actually guessed wrong in that one so I suppose that helped.

    Gone Girl is just perfection. I loved that the twist was halfway through and you are just like WHAT THE????? and then it still continues to shock all the way to the end. I wish more books were like that.

    Great thoughts.

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    1. I agree - with Gone Girl because the twist was in the middle it really put a spanner in the works and changed the whole dynamic of the story itself to make it even more exhilarating. Thanks for visiting Charlotte :)

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  8. I actually love how I could use this for my own writing! I'm definitely going to have to check those out, because I have trouble writing plot twists myself and I don't read so many books with plot twists myself. Definitely going to pin this for future reference!

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    1. Glad this could help with that Heather :) Writing plot twists isn't easy I'm sure - but when done well they can be mind-blowingly good! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  9. For me, if a book can get me to say "Oh. My. God." out loud, then I know it's a real shocker. ;) I absolutely adore books that shock and boggle my mind because it tells me the author is doing something right. ;) And I guess it's not surprising that not only did Dangerous Girls, Dangerous Boys and We Were Liars all get extremely high star ratings from me, but they also ended up becoming some of my favorite books of all time. :D

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    1. Same here :) If it's able to do that and wow me, then chances are it's going to be one of my top reads of the year. It just shows how talented these authors are!

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  10. I NEED TO READ DANGEROUS GIRLS ALREADY!! I bought a copy months ago now, and haven't got around to it yet. :( For me, I'm sometimes disappointed if I guess the ending, but other times I'm proud of myself for figuring it out...unfortunately the only book I've read that's mentioned in this post is We Were Liars and while I didn't guess the ending, I wasn't all that surprised either. I guess I just wasn't really invested in the story as much as a lot of other people were. Thanks for sharing a fantastic post with us all, Eugenia! <3

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    1. YES EBONY YOU SHOULD! I was like that too, but finally took the plunge to read it and I haven't looked back. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

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  11. I've heard so much about these mysterious twists from Dangerous Girl and We Were Liars, I'm so curious :P I'm with you, I almost never see a twist coming either so I'm always so surprised and wowed. I love twists so much, I think it would really take a huge part of the book away if I could predict them. Great topic!

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    1. I'd definitely recommend them Alise :) I think being surprised is all part of what makes these books so fantastic in the first place, and it's great to have that twist that you didn't see coming!

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