17
I suggested a different ending for The Giver and my book club got mad
We were talking about The Giver at my friend's house in Nashville last month. I said what if Jonas never left and instead stayed to secretly share memories with the other kids one by one. Like a quiet rebellion from inside. Two people said that ruins the whole point of the book and one person said it's more realistic. Got pretty heated for a Tuesday night. Has anyone else thrown out an alternate ending that got strong reactions?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
the_brooke19d agoMost Upvoted
I read somewhere that Lois Lowry actually thought about having Jonas stay but decided it was too bleak. Sounds like your book club is basically reliving her early drafts.
8
dylan_anderson19d ago
Did your book club actually try voting on which ending felt more real? I've been in groups where we read multiple endings of a book and it gets heated fast, but honestly that's the best part of these discussions. The staying ending might be too dark for some people but it hits harder if you ask me. You could always have them write a quick journal entry from Jonas's perspective after the sled scene, that really makes people think about what he'd actually do. Then compare notes and see if anyone shifts their stance on the ending.
1