Guest post written by Don’t Forget To Write author Sara Goodman Confino
Sara Goodman Confino is the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good and For the Love of Friends. She teaches high school English and journalism in Montgomery County, Maryland, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and two miniature schnauzers, Sandy and Gracie. When Sara’s not writing or working out, she can be found on the beach or at a Bruce Springsteen show, sometimes even dancing onstage. For more information, visit www.saraconfino.com.
Releasing on September 1st, Don’t Forget To Write is set in 1960 and follows a young woman who discovers a freedom she never knew existed.
When a plot twist is done well, it not only surprises readers, but it also changes the entire story. When you’re reading a thriller, you know it’s coming. But when an author really throws you for a loop in another genre, it often means the difference between a book you never think about again and a book you can’t stop thinking about. The twist can’t come out of nowhere—there have to be subtle clues that will have readers flipping back pages if not rereading the whole thing. My personal favorites have a little ambiguity as well, leaving me trying to talk about their endings with the enthusiasm that Crossfitters have when they talk about Crossfit.
So without spoilers, here are five books with plot twists so great you won’t Forget to Write about them!
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Okay, I know. You’re thinking the plot twist is that I didn’t pick The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for this. But the twist in Daisy Jones is, in my opinion better, because it really does reframe the entire story. And it had me on the edge of my seat during the last episode of the series to make sure they didn’t change it. Because love Daisy or hate her, that ending gives new meaning to the entire book and is likely why I’m still blasting “Regret Me” in my car.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
I figured out ONE of the twists early on. I’m hard to stump with that. But the other? Nope. You got me. And the bond that these women form through their shared trauma really makes the climax of this story of unlikely friendships so much more powerful.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Is this book more scandalous because that twist may have been inspired by something real that came from the author’s conservation work in Zambia? Yes. But that doesn’t take away from what is the most glorious ending to this story. This is another case of me figuring out one twist, then getting walloped when there turned out to be a second, bigger one at the very end.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Good grief. Actually, that would have been a great title for this book. Because that’s really what it is. But that ending! And the twist makes the real title so much more poignant, because there’s no such thing for Briony—there are some wrongs that cannot be undone. It honestly made me want to call my brother and apologize for every mean thing I ever did to him when we were kids because you never know when it will be too late.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Yes, it came out over twenty years ago. But this book absolutely broke me—both the surface story and the twist. And honestly? It’s hard to determine which is more tragic. It’s a book I wish I could go back and experience for the first time because there are so few twists that rival this one. It would be like watching The Sixth Sense for the first time. You will never again be as innocent as you were at the start of the story.
And one last bonus book: Don’t Forget to Write!
