The Best Cliffhanger Endings of the Past 15 Years
Here
they are—the books that left us breathless in the last 50 pages. Some
are traditional thrillers, some whodunits and some roller-coaster novels. Which ones have you read?
By Dawn Raffel
17 of 17
Never Let Me Go
By Kazuo Ishiguro
288 pages;
Vintage
The Premise: Kathy has loved Tommy since
boarding school, but her best friend, Ruth, won him. There's nothing unusual in
that setup—but it turns out that all three are clones, created for
the sole purpose of having their organs harvested. Kathy becomes a
"carer" for other clones going under the knife, which buys her time.
Ruth dies on the table. Could Tommy and Kathy's rekindled love win him a
deferral?
Why the Ending Is a Stunner: Their former headmistress makes a
shattering admission. One that you either suspected (but couldn't believe would
actually happen) or that you never saw coming—which, in turn, reveals
a little about how you see the world.
— Dawn Raffel
Published 11/16/2015
