10 of the Lamest Story Endings of All Time

Some books are so riveting that you simply cannot put them down, and when you eventually get to that last line of the very last chapter you come away feeling as though you’ve lost something close to you. Then are those which are equally as alluring, up until you reach the final page and realise you’ve wasted a part of your life which you’ll never get back; leaving you feeling hollow. Here are 10 examples of those type of books.

[highlight color=”yellow”]SPOILER ALERT:  If you wish to read any of these books it would be advisable to turn away.[/highlight]

1 Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane’s psychological thriller, which went on to become a blockbuster movie, is filled with suspense, and an overwhelming sense of paranoia. The New York Times reviewed this book as “Startlingly Original”, but the book left readers confused. In a short three and a half page last chapter, readers from across the globe were left feeling cheated and frustrated. Many readers have voiced their opinions that the ending is rushed, and no thought was put into a proper ending.

2 Sleepers, Jacqueline Druga

Sleepers portrays a natural disaster when 1.8 billion children all fall ill at the same time throwing the world into absolute chaos. However, part way through the book readers noticed a heavy religious theme, which put some of them off completely. Some didn’t even bother finishing the book. But it was the end of the book that had readers in an uproar, leading them to believe the apocalypse was caused by the Rapture. The last few pages, however, changed this to the illness being caused by time travellers. What a let down to a really good read.

3 The Help, Kathryn Stockett

Skeeter is a white woman in Mississippi in the early 1960’s who tells the stories of the African American maids. It’s an emotional book with one Amazon reviewer stating that it was “the best book I’ve ever read.” It’s a pity that not everyone felt the same when it came to this novel, as the ending was considered too abrupt; leaving the readers hanging on a cliff.

4 Blind Fury, Lynda La Plante

Blind Fury revolves around a group of detectives investigating a murder. When the protagonist, Anna Travis, is assigned to the case she receives a letter from a man she previously put in jail claiming he knows the killer and asking her to come see him in prison. Sound familiar? The book had readers on the edge of their seats from the first page, but left them angered and feeling their time had been wasted once they’d reached the end.

5 IT, Stephen King

A very popular book by one of the most famous horror writers of all time, which is let down by a weak ending. The book follows a group of misfit teens confronting their worst fears as they grow up and move away from their home town, only to return as adults to reface their experience. As readers grasped the book, they were left deflated and frustrated in the final pages as the group fought giant spiders in a cave.

6 The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold

This heart-warming story about the afterlife and a family coping with the death of their child focuses on the notion of spending just one more time with loved ones before passing on into the eternal realm. What readers got instead was a lead up to a teen sex romp – a really strange and bleak ending to a compelling book.

7 Room, Emma Donoghue

Room is a thrilling book about a mother being held captive in a garden shed. During her time in the shed she gives birth and continues living with her child as he grows. As he gets older he learns about the outside world through what he sees on television. The book maintains as a heart-warming, emotional and compelling read. However, his eventual transition into the outside world is all too predictable.

8 We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver

We Need to Talk About Kevin follows a mother struggling to cope with her son after he goes on a shooting rampage at a high school. It was interesting in the way that she never really seems to like her son, and many parents could associate with the book, regarding the differences between them and their children. The problem with this book which upset so many was the predictability of the ending, which seemed obvious half way through the book.

9 The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton’s story about a government biophysics experiment that goes wrong and wipes out an entire town is your typical disaster story, which leaves you on the edge of your seat. That is, of course, up until the abrupt ending, which you would never believe could be written by such a superb writer.

10 She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb

She’s Come Undone is an emotional rollercoaster of a tale about an adolescent who is assaulted by her neighbour and emotionally abused by her parents. The parents are dealing with the loss of a child and alcohol abuse which leaves this child with depression, weight gain and heading on a self-destructive road. The finale of the book leaves the adolescent on a journey where she comes across a beached whale, yes a beached whale and her life changes. That’s it – that is the ending.

Article contributed by London booklet printing service PrintExpress.co.uk.