If you could have only half of a book, would you prefer the first half or the second one?
My daughter Imogen and I discuss this question after I tell her a friend gave me too much money for a copy of one of my Angels novels: “She gave me enough money to buy three and a half books.”
Imogen and I imagine putting three books into a pile and adding half a book. Which half would my friend want: the first or second half?
“I’d definitely want the second half of the book,” says Imogen. “I hate not knowing how stories end.”
I nod. “There’s always clues about how the story began in the second half. And if not, we can use our imaginations and still arrive at the halfway point in the story.”
What about you? Would you ask for the first half or the second?
I love chatting about writing and books with my daughter and pondering strange questions.
We have discussed a few more book questions:
Can writing essays about the classics spoil the enjoyment? Are essays really necessary?
How does an unschooled author promote and sell her books?
Should we let other people’s opinions affect the books we let our kids read?
Is it wrong to seek entertainment in crime and murder stories?
In case you’re wondering
I’d never slice a book in half and give someone only part of the story. I would have given my friend four copies of my book if I hadn’t returned 5/7ths of her money. (That’s a bit of unschool maths!)
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Another strange question: what if you opened your fridge and discovered nothing but books?
