To nobody’s surprise, readers largely prefer books with happy endings. Psychologists will surely do studies and focus groups, but we believe that deep down inside, most humans are hopeful. It’s a tough world and turning to a book that makes you think it will be just fine is human nature.
It is that most of us crave overwhelmingly a happy ending to a novel; and that Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – in which Elizabeth and Mr Darcy ride off to Pemberley in the sunset and live happily ever after – is our runaway favourite of a perfect ending.
Part of us — the cynical part, which comprises far more the body than it should — finds great amusement in the wide-eyed reporting of the following two statistics:
Almost one fifth of men expressed a preference for books with ambiguous endings.
And:
Young people were most likely to prefer books with a sad ending – 8.6% of under 16s.
There are days when it’s tough to resist…
