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That debate about character deaths at my last book club got heated fast
One member straight up said killing off the main character was lazy writing, but I thought it made the story way more impactful. What's your take on when authors off their protagonists too soon or just right?
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fiona73719d agoMost Upvoted
Oh man, that hits close to home. My book club had the exact same blowup last year. We read a thriller where the main character died in the middle of the book. Half the group hated it. Said it ruined the whole story. I felt the opposite. It made the second half totally unpredictable because nobody was safe. That's when stories stick with you, when they take real risks like that. So I'm with you, killing off the protagonist can be brilliant if it serves the story right.
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jesse_west19d ago
Doesn't that depend on whether the death actually adds something to the story or just shocks people for no reason? For me, it works best when you look back and see the clues were there all along.
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