When I’m reading a book, I don’t like the author to take me along on an easy journey where everything is explained; simply there on the page for you to read about it and that’s that. I like to be challenged as a reader and to be thinking about a book long after I finish it. Better still, I like to be so wowed by a book that I absolutely want to read it again to see if I missed anything, or if I would interpret it differently on the reread.
As a writer I try to leave some wiggle room for interpretation in my books. I don’t want to insult my readers’ intelligence by handing them the story on a silver platter with a bit of side salad for garnish. If you have read my latest book, The Blue Man, you will know what I’m talking about. I loved some of the review comments about how readers interpreted it. Some readers have even contacted me to ask how much of the story I intended as supernatural and how much was other factors that the characters believed to be ghostly themselves. To be honest, as the writer, I’d rather ask the reader: what do you think happened?
I can understand if some readers out there feel that ambiguity in books is frustrating, or not satisfying though; but for me as a reader, I love it when there’s room for interpretation at the end of a story. Got some recommendations of books that leave room for interpretation? Feel free to let me know, especially if they’re on Kindle Unlimited. I’m always on the lookout for new novels and I read widely in pretty much any genre, even though horror is my favourite.
Leilanie Stewart 