literary gluttony

There’s a certain hush that falls when you turn the last page of a book, isn’t there? That weight of finality, of letting go. Sometimes you close a book with a smile, your heart glowing like a lantern in the dark. Other times… you’re left staring at the ceiling, gutted, wondering why the author ripped your heart out and set it on fire.

So today’s question is this: Do readers deserve happy endings?

On one hand, there’s comfort in a story that ties its threads neatly, giving us closure and a soft landing. It feels like a reward for investing our time, our emotions, our late-night hours spent with these characters. We want to see them safe, loved, victorious.

But then again—doesn’t heartbreak sometimes leave the deeper mark? The bittersweet ache of a less-than-perfect ending can haunt us for years, making the story linger in our bones long after a neatly wrapped happy-ever-after would’ve faded. Sometimes, pain is the point. Sometimes, loss is the lesson.

Think of novels like The Fault in Our Stars by John Green or A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara—stories that wound us even as they shape us. Compare them to the sweeping satisfaction of a book like The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, which wraps you up in warmth like a knitted blanket. Both approaches have their magic. Both feel true in different ways.

So I’m turning the question to you: When you close a book, do you crave joy, or do you embrace the ache?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below—I want to know which side you fall on.