Good examples of literary twists

[Ali]

Thanks for the recommendation, it was a fun read and I loved the illustrations (it's a pity novels for adults don't have such nice illustrations). @Ali did you choose the illustrator or was she decided on by the publisher? In any case, good choice.

Yes, I think Claire is brilliant and she was my first choice - I'm lucky she came on board! And I don't want to hog the thread, but Snarky's guess is, of course, correct.

[Snarky]

Snarky's guess is, of course, correct

Huzzah!

I've been thinking about twists, and how we often define them as surprises. For example, Hitchcock thought you should prioritize suspense over surprise, and reveal information early on ("there's a bomb under the table") in order to build suspense, rather than hold it back ("some people are sitting around a table, suddenly a bomb goes off")—except in the case of a twist, which he seems to have understood as "a surprise that is the point of the story."

But I question how true that is. Earlier on Ali compared them to joke punchlines, and I think that's right. And of course the thing with hearing a joke is that you're usually waiting for the punchline. It's a very different experience if you don't realize that what someone is telling you is a joke, and the punchline comes out of nowhere. Usually you don't know exactly what the punchline is going to be (sometimes you do), but the enjoyment is as much the anticipation as the reveal.

Similarly, I think the best twists often give you some inkling ahead of time that there is something off, something missing, but not enough to put your finger on exactly what. If it's just a matter of holding back some of the information until the end, it's usually not very satisfying. There should be some unresolved element to the story that the twist completes.

A good twist will often offer suspense and surprise.

[Ali]

And of course the thing with hearing a joke is that you're usually waiting for the punchline. It's a very different experience if you don't realize that what someone is telling you is a joke, and the punchline comes out of nowhere. Usually you don't know exactly what the punchline is going to be (sometimes you do), but the enjoyment is as much the anticipation as the reveal.

I have just a couple of thoughts on this. I always thought an un-signposted joke ought to be funnier than a joke that's presented as A Joke, because the punchline would be more of a surprise. In fact, I think the opposite is true. People laugh more when they are primed to believe that the next thing they hear will be funny. Perhaps there's a parallel with narrative twists there too.

Also, there are lots of jokes where the punchlines do come in an unexpected place, so even though the audience is expecting a gag they are still taken by surprise. I'm thinking of garden-path jokes like the kind Emo Phillips is famous for, or even the (very dated) "take my wife... please".

[cat]

I finally came around reading the second Montgomery Bonbon book, Death at the Ligthhouse.

It was nice that the book again included some jokes for adults (please tell me the only reason for naming a character Ribble was to have a chapter called "Ribble Trouble").
I was confused several times throughout the book, but maybe I'm just a bit thick.

Spoiler

I was generally having a hard time, even with the map, to figure out who was where and why getting from one point to another took which amount of time independent of walking or driving (I guess this was on purpose, to make the solution less obvious).
When they first went to the lighthouse, I couldn't find the spot on the map where they parked the car - from the description it was neither the pebble path carpark nor Manderley Miserley.
There was also a scene with Roz and Sands where Bonnie is talking to them and pointing to Dana in the onion costume (who is pretending to be Bonbon), but the illustration shows Roz, Sands and Bonbon.

[close]

My favourite part was in Iain's house. I figured out the murderer but not the full solution

Spoiler

The motive became quite obvious with the visit in the school cellar, but I missed the connection of the school being next to the guest house and that he has seen her. I also didn't figure out the locked room puzzle.

[close]

Fun side note:

Spoiler

When I was reading the last chapter that takes place in the rain storm, my partner came in and asked me, if I go to work by bike next day. For a second I thought "Why on earth would I go by bike in such a weather" only to remember that the forecast was 25°C and sunshine. That's what I call immersed in a book 

[close]

I enjoyed the book and will lend it to my partner's mother, who also enjoyed the first book (though I doubt she will get the Ribble joke). Looking forward to the next case!