Have you ever picked up a book and enjoyed all of the twists, surprises, details, etc. of the book.... but then, as you're nearing the end of the story, things turn for the worse and ruin the experience you've just enjoyed? Unfortunately, this happens quite a bit in the novels we read. Let's share some novels that mess with our emotions and change our overall reading experience! Let's discuss the road the author takes us down and then explain how you would change the ending.
WARNING:Before I continue with this post, I'd like to make sure everyone understands that the endings of these stories will be ruined if you haven't read the novels yet. If that's the case -- that you haven't read the book yet -- and you *do not* want the ending to be spoiled, please do not continue to read the commentary after you see the title of the book.
Book: To start us off, let's discuss: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Again, if you HAVEN'T read this but plan to someday and don't want the ending ruined, please do not continue to read this post. A very quick, three-four sentence summary (which doesn't do the novel justice!) is as follows. The story takes place during the Holocaust and centers around a German boy, Bruno, who befriends a Jewish boy, Shmuel, in a nearby concentration camp. The two boys learn much about each other throughout the course of the story and find that they have a lot in common. The two boys become close as the story progresses. Neither of them understands why some people are imprisoned, with soldiers guarding them, while others are free.
How it ends: This book ends with Shmuel looking for his father and Bruno deciding to help his friend with the search. Bruno finds a way across the fence that keeps the prisoners inside. While looking for Shmuel's father, the two boys, along with the other prisoners, are taken to a gas chamber. The two boys never found Shmuel's father and, when they get to the gas chamber...well, yeah.
How I would change the ending: I am a fan of happy story endings, so I would have had the story end with the war ending before the aforementioned events took place. Shmuel would have found his father and the two boys would have remained friends.
All right, so now that I've provided an example, let's hear some of the books you want to discuss!