With social media fragmenting, I’m bringing back my old “You Tell Me” Wednesday discussions to try to get good old fashioned blog conversations going. If you’re reading in a feed reader or via email, please click through to the post to leave a public comment and join the discussion!
On Monday I updated my post on reversals, with examples from Star Wars, Gone Girl, and Harry Potter. It got me thinking: what’s your favorite reversal in a novel?
Have you ever been left shaken by a reveal?
In addition to the ones I’ve already cited, I have to give a shout out to the master George R.R. Martin, who’s crafted more shocking reversals in one series than most authors can pull off in a lifetime.
Who are your favorites?
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Art: Self-Portrait with Magic Scene by Pieter van Laer
Hard not to think about Jane Eyre and the wife in the attic, but I do remember being pretty impacted by the reveal in We Were Liars. I bet there are a lot of amazing ones I’m not remembering.
The absolute best reversal was actually foreshadowed by the title: “Pleading Guilty” by Scott Tutow. Completely blindsided me, my jaw hit the floor twice. First ftom the revelation, second when the title dawned on me! Scott is anazing!
Tamsyn Muir’s “The Locked Tomb” series is full of twists and turns.
I was gonna bring up George Martin too. The Red Wedding was the first time I exclaimed “No way!” out loud while reading.
I actually remember the first time I was really struck by this kind of thing–I was a wee tyke, reading The Last Olympian for the first time, and the fact that the prophecy was talking about two different people kind of blew my tiny mind.
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Didn’t see that coming….
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty – it didn’t exactly leave me shaken, but I was so certain that things happened a certain way and then when it turned out I was completely wrong – I loved that.
People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden.
The Betrayals by Bridget Collins! I was listening to the audiobook and So shocked I had to stop what I was doing and go back and listen multiple times.
Jane Eyre! The wedding that didn’t happen (for a long time)
Jane Eyre will always remain a classic in reversals . as does Daphne Du Maurier’s REBECCA. Hey, so is Bradbury’s FAHRENHEIT 451, John Irving’s OWEN MEANY and the book of all books—Homer’s ILLIAD.
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