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Spoilers!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s talk about spoilers.
Actually, I wanted to talk about endings of some recent books that made me cry. A real manly topic, I know. But I realized that if I wrote about the endings of the books I wanted to write about, someone would get upset and accuse me of slinging spoilers.
A spoiler, of course, is giving away the ending, or key developments, of a movie, book or TV show. You know:
Bruce Willis is dead the whole time but doesn’t know it.
Boo Radley saves Jem.
Dr. House figures out the diagnosis and saves the patient’s life. (Oooh! Why did you tell me that? I had that episode TiVo’d!)
We all know those (I hope). But if there is someone out there who’s only halfway through “To Kill a Mockingbird,” they’re pretty bummed right now. There’s nothing worse than being spoiled, particularly if it’s a book you’ve been looking forward to.
But I’m here to say that there comes a point when people ought to be able to discuss a book and not cringe for fear that someone else hasn’t gotten around to reading it yet.
We ought to be able to talk about the death of Dumbledore at the end of “Harry Potter 6,”: right? It’s been two and a half years. But is it cool yet to talk about what happened to Snape in “Harry Potter 7,” which has been out three months? And if not, when will it go from being a spoiler to a non-spoiler. What’s the statute of limitations on spoilers?
For today, spoiler stories. Have you had a book spoiled for you, and how did you react? Have you spoiled a book for someone else?
Oh look, it’s Anna Karenina. What is she doing next to those train tracks?
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: News and Reviews
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By Kate
October 18, 2007 8:12 AM | Link to this
Stooooop! Anna Karenina next to the train tracks?? Does she die? Now I’m supposed to read this 1,832 page book just to find out she dies?? Or is maimed? Which is it? Oh, fuggetaboutit.
By Phil Kloer
October 18, 2007 8:24 AM | Link to this
It’s OK,Kate. She catches the train and lives happily ever after!
By ron
October 18, 2007 8:48 AM | Link to this
First they told me there was no Santa Claus,then the Easter Bunny disappeared,then I looked under my pillow and the tooth was still there.Now Dumbleddore dies.What next?Someone will probably tell me that Sherlock Holmes didn’t really go into the falls,or the Humpty dumpty couldn’t be fixed.[I just got to ,”all the kings horses and all the kings men”,when the phone rang].I must finish it someday.
By Kate
October 18, 2007 8:59 AM | Link to this
Happily ever after? Well, that’s boring.
My father likes to ruin endings of books, movies, Scooby-doo It’s Mr. Niblet, the hotel owner, that’s been terrorizing the town?? Nooooo! I’ve gotten pretty good about tuning him out.
One woman in my book club will imbibe a bit too much and start rattling off key elements in books. We cut her off and put her in a time out. Ostracization. It works everytime.
By grabbingsand
October 18, 2007 9:00 AM | Link to this
There are two schools of thought on spoilers. I subscribe to both, I guess.
First, there is an unspoken statute of limitations on when a spoiler loses its toxicity. Revealing the end of the 7th Potter tome less than a week after release? Worthy of a beating, I’d say. Even a month after, still not the best of ideas. But give it another few months, maybe a year, and the end of HP7 will reach “Snape Kills Dumbledore” status. Everyone who wanted to finish fresh will have done so.
Second, however, there are certain spoilers that never lose their potency. While these exist in book form, movies are an easier source of example. The first that springs to mind is The Usual Suspects. Brilliant film, but only truly effective that very first time you watch it, not knowing just who Kaiser Soze really is. Why? Because the power of the film rests almost entirely on the reveal.
So really, common sense should be the rule. If a reveal or a turn of events struck you, the reader, as truly earth-shaking, then don’t spoil that experience for others. Why take away that sense of wonder?
By Atlanta Pearl Girl
October 18, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this
Even if you know the ending…which is pretty rare when one thinks about it…. if the story/movie/book is good…it’s still worth the read/effort.
Just an FYI…if you’re reading ‘Jitterbug Perfume…. there is no ending….. it’s just plain stupid.’
Atlanta Pearl Girl
By LM
October 18, 2007 9:33 AM | Link to this
Just finished Anna Karenina about a month or so ago, but while in the middle of it I went and googled it to get more background of Tolsoy, I got the ending before I had finished it. It was my fault and it didn’t deter me from finishing it, but….
I have a co-worker who does not read, but will go see the movies like the HP series. He and I were talking about the upcomming movie and book this summer and I spilled that Sirus died, forgetting it was book 5 which was just being released to movie. Oh Man, he was mad… I am still not allowed to talk HP.
By Phil Kloer
October 18, 2007 9:37 AM | Link to this
Couple of good points here, from grabbingsand and Pearl Girl: If the whole enterprise rests on the twist at the end (the movies of M. Night Shamaladingdong, the stories of O. Henry), spoilers are deadly.
If the book is inherently worth reading (let’s say, “The Grapes of Wrath”) then knowing the ending shouldn’t spoil it. But of course, we’re only human, and it does, a little.
By mp
October 18, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this
This is very timely for me. Just YESTERDAY I spoiled last weeks Supernatural for a friend who ti-vo’s it every week. He’s always rubbing it in my face when I miss something because I don’t have ti-vo and don’t want tivo. Right after he rubbed missing the season opener (that he watched last week)I spoiled the second episode for him with detail after detail. He as was spitting nails. Then he gave me the endings of three movies I have no interest in seeing. He asked me why I spoiled it for him. I said…I don’t know, just feeling a little evil I guess. Ha!
By Amy
October 18, 2007 11:08 AM | Link to this
I heard on the radio the other day a discussion about talk show hosts not being able to discuss things in their morning shows anymore, like sports outcomes and American Idol voting the next day, same as movies and books. That is ridiculous - another example of the few ruining it for everybody else. What else does a sports announcer do??
By FCM
October 18, 2007 4:38 PM | Link to this
How much did Titanic gross? Ok then, obviously some of us will still watch, pay, etc even if we know the ending (now if you are still hoping the boat doesn’t sink when you do so you have issues!).
Harry Potter people who only watch the movies you have to becareful around. When someone tries to engage me on the subject I ask up front do they do books/movies. Then I know what I can or cannot say. If they are into books I ask if they have read them all (and what real fan hasn’t?) then I know what I can talk about. If they are in book 7 I tell them to let me know when they are done.
Basically I do not think spoilers are good. I go to lunch with a group that loves to rehash LOST a month at a time…if you are not ‘caught up’ by the time the monthly lunch roles around…prepare to hear spoilers or don’t go.
All that said, if I read say JD Robb’s in Death series out of order it doesn’t bother me, even thought the series certainly builds on itself. I find the characters of Dallas, Roarke, Peabody, Summerset, and the gang to be strong enough to keep my attention. Especially important when I can tell you before I am half way done with the book who committed the murder.
Then again most people probably don’t want to watch Monk or Psych or those types of shows with me either. Once all the players have been introduced (movie or book) I know who did it. I just like to see how the story unfolds.
First thing I asked when Bruce Willis showed up on screen after being shot was “How they hell did he live through a point blank shot to gut? That thing had to tear out his back like a basketball!” My father (who had seen the movie) said “Shut up and watch the movie”. Then I pretty much decided that we must be seeing a flashback of the life of the guy who shot him…up until the school scene anyway….I thin the last movie that really surprised me was “Crying Game” (another that you don’t give the ending away too).
By FCM
October 18, 2007 4:43 PM | Link to this
Oh! HP 7 was the last book to surprise me….I was surprised Ms. R choose to end the series the way she did…and somewhat disappointed too….However I do not think enough time time has elapsed to discuss that yet….maybe 3 months after the paperback is on the shelf?