Novels are nice,' my friend said. 'They stop.' He waggled his fingers to make quotation marks in the air. 'They say, 'The End.' Very nice. A marvelous invention. Here we have stories, but never 'The End.
In Philip Gourevitch's book, a conversation reveals a profound reflection on the nature of novels versus real-life experiences. One character appreciates how novels provide closure with a definitive "The End." This highlights the comforting resolution that fiction offers, allowing readers to step back from intense narratives. Contrasting this with reality, the character points out that real-life stories often remain open-ended, lacking closure. This observation underscores the complexities and ongoing struggles faced by individuals, which do not neatly conclude, emphasizing the difficulties inherent in recounting true experiences.
