Latest news with #SylviaPlath
Metro
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
I was 19 when I realised I'm not special - I'm just gay
I once had a very curious experience in Soho (a sentence that launches a thousand stories). It was just after lockdown in 2020, when we could finally sit outside at bars. I was at a chic gay bar (on account of both my sexuality and great taste), when Lady Gaga's hit 911, which I'd played over and over to myself in lockdown, came on over the speakers. I looked around, bemused. Had my Bluetooth accidentally connected to the bar's speaker? Even more bemusingly, everyone else in the bar seemed to know the words. But that couldn't be right. This was a song I had discovered in lockdown on my own. And it was at that exact moment – at least for the benefit of this piece – that I realised I'm not on my own adventure. I am on the same adventure as many, many other gay men before and since. When I was younger, the chance to come out as gay was ruthlessly torn from me by my voice and personality. When people make assumptions about you and your sexuality, it can be really painful, especially when every single one of those assumptions is entirely apt. Could the guy who auditioned for every school musical, had a penchant for Sylvia Plath poetry and designed bespoke costumes for Cheryl Cole in his notebook really be gay? And is water wet, do we know? With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! I read as gay for much of my youth and so my identity was always at the forefront of my mind. When I started to come out to my family and friends, from the age of 14, it meant a lot to me. I could seize control of the narrative and speak my truth – like a gay Malala – but it was a major plot twist for precisely no one. But I had no queer elders to guide me because, while my heterosexual parents are incredibly supportive (shoutout Mum and Dad, you know who you are!), neither of them are gay men. I had understanding, but not empathy. Similarly, I was different to every other boy in my form group; whereas the other 14 boys in my class were of course in no way different to each other. Literally all 14 of them liked football and were called Callum. There were so many things that I thought only I knew about – the Glee cast cover of Smooth Criminal, Andrew Lloyd Webber's competition shows to find the next Nancy or Maria, the TV show Doctor Who. All in all, I was the only gay guy that I knew – which meant I must be the only gay guy, because I knew everyone. Throughout my teenage years, I felt like I was a complete outlier – and that's the biggest cruelty of gay youth. So much queer culture is built on feeling different, unique and out of place. Then, you enter the adult world and it becomes apparent that everything you think, feel and say is actually the same as every other gay guy; every single gay guy knows the lyrics to 911 (if you're a gay guy reading this who doesn't know the lyrics, yes you do). Whiplash alert! I thought I was some kind of radical trailblazer growing up, when really, I was embarking on one of the most well-trodden paths of all time, the Camino de Santiago of sexual awakenings. I remember when I first started hanging out with other gay guys at university, aged 19. It was genuinely chilling how many cultural references we shared. Of course, this is what community is about. I was delighted, for example, that people were suddenly finding my biting and cruel wit iconic, rather than just biting and cruel – and people could finally quote the same pop culture references as me. But they had also had the same weird hookups as me, felt the same latent shame as me. A lot of gay men are even called Will. And this meant I was not in fact a new frontier, but rather a member of the old guard, a traditionalist, even. There's something simultaneously reassuring and haunting about realising so many people share your life experiences. Will Owen: Looking Fab At Fifty will be performed at 8.30pm in Assembly Roxy (RoxyBoxy) from 30th July – 24th August (not 12th). Book here. I used to have a fantasy when I was younger about becoming some kind of queer icon. I hadn't got very far on how I would achieve that status – but it was a toss-up between starting a grassroots political movement that actively changed the lives of my fellow community members, or saying something kinda slay on a reality show. I could figure out the details later – but either way, I had these visions in my head of me inspiring the next generation and encouraging young queer people to live authentically. But as it became clear at university: I am not special. I am just gay. More Trending If I were to give any advice to my younger self, I would say: Even though it's lonely now, in every single classroom in the country there is a young gay man who has a story just like yours. So you really ought to start your podcast now because the market is going to become really oversaturated. I'm quite happy accepting my status as a generic gay guy, honestly. It took a moment, but the truth is, you can't hate the party from outside. And it will be a good party if there are gay guys there. Everyone thinks they are special because we have all been told it – but the truth is, we are not all special. Except for me. I'm the only one writing a first-person op-ed in Metro, after all. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: I want you to speak to me – not the person pushing my wheelchair MORE: I took up running – but family members' responses shocked me MORE: I went to 19 schools but I was desperate to stay still Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sabrina Carpenter goes bra-free in a backless ruby red dress while sipping wine
Sabrina Carpenter wowed her fans with a series of sexy looks over the weekend. The hitmaker, 26 who stunned the audience performing with Duran Duran at last week's BST Hyde Park show, shared some sultry highlights from her European trip on Monday. Carpenter began the photo carousel with a snap of herself wearing a low back ruby red gown while enjoying a glass of white wine at an Italian restaurant. Her blonde locks were styled in a wavy bob. 'Newsflash pal,' the Please Please Please singer wrote next to the contents. 'Our princess! Italy looks good on you,' penned an adoring fan. 'TRY NOT TO SAY BELLISSIMA CHALLENGE FAILED,' asserted an admirer. Another risqué photo showed the Grammy winner reclining on a bed in an animal print body suit. Her not-so-light reading material included Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, which caused some concern among her fans. Plath died by suicide in February 1963, one month after the publication of the semi-autobiographical novel. 'FOR REAL IS SHE OKAY,' asked a fan. 'I GASPED WHEN I NOTICED LMAO,' wrote another. One commenter remarked on the irony of Carpenter reading the feminist novel in light of her recent album cover, in which she is crouched on the floor with a man pulling her hair. Many have found the cover demeaning. 'With Sabrina's new cover it is really hypocritical to post this picture with Sylvia's work of art,' they claimed. Carpenter was all business in another photo, showing of her hourglass figure in a 1950's inspired gray suit with a matching jacket and flouncy skirt which she wore to the Dior Homme Menswear show during Paris Fashion Week. Her long, blonde hair was styled straight and cascaded down her back. In another photo Carpenter looked line a muse wearing a cream satin and lace dress as she stood on her tiptoes beneath a wood framed window. A more relaxed picture shows the Espresso artist wearing the same dress, lying on the floor with her legs resting against a wall in a yoga position. Carpenter shared a playful snap as she and a friend sat on a teeter-totter at a kiddie park. The hitmaker looked carefree wearing a pair of striped short-shorts with a loose-fitting yellow top and high-heel mules. The young popstar is a bit of a music historian according to the cover story in Rolling Stone. She is a big ABBA fan has named her cats Benny and Bjorn after band members Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, and often covers their songs during the 'slumber party' portion of her set. 'I don't know if there's any other artists in the world [who] make me so happy,' she said, revealing she had received a personal tour from Ulvaeus at the ABBA museum. A more relaxed picture shows the Espresso artist wearing the same dress, lying on the floor with her legs resting against a wall in a yoga position 'They just understood how to make fun of music without it feeling cheesy or corny. And even when it does you're into, because they just sell it.' She often spends her off-time watching seventies films, such as Saturday Night Fever. She credits the younger family members of people she admires for helping with intros to music legends such as Dolly Parton and Paul Simon. 'Thank God for the nepo babies,' she explained. Because they're fans of min, and I need to meet their parents.'
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The characters one lives through
'I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked... I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.' — Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar No one captured the daunting feeling of choosing who to become more eloquently than Sylvia Plath. The fear of regret from selecting a wrong path is often so strong, it paralyses us into inaction. We remain on the sidelines, hoping not to make a decision at all, until ultimately the regret we experience is not for having chosen poorly, but for not having chosen at all. By the time the realisation of a life wasted sinks in, it's too late. All we can do is watch our life pass by like a missed train, while we stand on the platform, unable to move. So is the cruelty of nature. It offers us a million possibilities but the capacity of picking only one. But man is a cunning being. He devised ways to achieve the privilege of multiple lives, a privilege reserved only for the gods. He created stories. He built worlds. He wrote books. Man found ways to slip in and out of lives through the pages of novels he wrote. Books might be man's greatest creation yet. They let him taste the grief of a father losing his son, the longing for a partner that was never truly his, the thrill of falling in love, all encapsulated in a tiny piece of paper and ink. In them, he could live and die a thousand times, without ever leaving the quiet of his room. It's beautiful, I suppose, the quiet rebellion of it, like a whispered defiance against the tyranny of a single path. Books, like any other art forms, have always represented escapism, but novels go beyond and define another world to escape into. They have always been portals, not just mirrors. In them, we don't just reflect our lives, we rewrite them. We imagine who we could have been, and sometimes, who we're too afraid to become. I've been Amir in The Kite Runner, living in Taliban-occupied Afghanistan. I've been Nora in The Midnight Library, I've felt the ache of unlived lives. I've been the nameless protagonist in Rebecca, navigating my identity in a world dominated by men. I've been Patroclus, lover of Achilles, doomed to love in silence and to die for a war that is not mine to fight. Through them, I've grieved, yearned, fought, fled, fallen, and found myself again. These characters are not strangers on a page, they are echoes of all the lives I might have lived. And in reading them, I have lived a little more than one life, and that, I think, is a kind of salvation. ananyasaraff142@
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
The age of the fig tree: Why Sylvia Plath speaks to a generation paralysed by choice
Over 60 years have passed, and yet the haunting allure of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar has not dimmed one bit; if anything, it is seeing a renaissance among the younger generations grappling with the debilitating burden of choice. A passage from the novel, now widely known online as the fig tree metaphor, has become a rallying cry for Millennials and Gen Z, spreading rapidly on social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. It is a symbol of the pervasive crisis of decision-making paralysis in a world saturated with opportunity. In the modern classic, published in 1963, Plath describes a fig tree whose branches each hold a fig, representing a different possible future: marriage, motherhood, literary success, academic prestige, adventure. As the protagonist, Esther Greenwood, a college student, reflects: 'I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked.' In an age when the world is one our fingertips, for every road taken, their are hundreds of roads not taken. Choosing one future can mean closing the door on a dozen more. In such a case, an abundance of choice that should be liberating, becomes suffocating. 'One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out,' she continues. The 20s are often framed as a time for making monumental decisions: careers, relationships, where to live. For Gen Z, who face a world overflowing with options, Plath's metaphor of decision paralysis has struck a deep chord, and has become the symbol of the melancholia of an entire generation. Terrified of making the wrong choice, Greenwood can only sit beneath the tree, unable to act, watching the figs fall: 'I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose.' A post shared by michelle (@inksbymich) The reflection, written in the context of the 1950s, has found new resonance in an age defined by limitless possibility. Today, people in their 20s and 30s face an unprecedented abundance of options in all walks of life, whether career paths, cities, partners, and lifestyles. 'I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.' Even seemingly trivial decisions such as how to spend a lunch break, which film to watch, what book to read become exhausting. The metaphor extends: the figs multiply, and they rot. The passage has been circulating widely online for years, often rediscovered and reposted with fervour in bursts. On Reddit, one user, shared: 'I found this excerpt from The Bell Jar today and it really nailed how I feel. The indecision makes me feel like the whole world is going by while I sit and ponder which life I want, and with all that wait, the 'figs' just rot.' 'I'm so haunted by this concept that I have chosen to believe … in a multiverse that contains an alternate universe where I make the opposite choice. I am probably too risk-averse and too afraid of hating my life to ever have a kid in this universe, but I like to think that in a different universe, I'm happily raising a great kid,' confessed another. On Instagram, users took to posting their own fig trees, with each fruit bearing a possible identity: bookstore owner, singer, writer, cottage dweller. On social media, the fig tree has become a visual metaphor, a personal inventory of dreams and possibilities. Compounding this is the social media–fuelled culture of comparison. Curated lives — seamless work–life balance, creative fulfilment, perfectly plated brunches — create a subtle pressure: to do more, choose faster, live fuller. The failure to keep up breeds a quiet sense of inadequacy. A post shared by The Fig Archives (@thefigarchives) This generation, often accused of indecision or delay, may instead be confronting the profound pressure to live multiple lives in one — to 'have it all'. There is a quiet sorrow in realising that to choose one life is to relinquish others. Some doors, once closed, may not open again. In her 1998 essay, The Mother, the Self, and the Other, scholar Yōko Sakane observes that Esther's indecision is shaped by her discomfort with traditional femininity and her refusal to identify with the women around her. Citing the fig tree passage, she wrote: 'Esther, being an intelligent college student 'with fifteen years of straight A's', could easily choose any of these figs, but she finds herself increasingly incapable of choosing even one. Her sense of loss reveals not only her 'neurotic' ambition of 'wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time', but also a sense of alienation.' For many today, the metaphor hits home. As one online collective put it: 'We all desire to experience everything. Ironically, we can only afford to pick one to sustain our day-to-day lives… Will [our passions] just wrinkle, go black, and plop to the ground?' The Bell Jar endures not only for its portrayal of mental illness and feminist unrest, but for its brutally honest confrontation with the paralysis of potential. Plath's fig tree has become a generational emblem of phantom potentials, grief for roads not taken, uncertainty, longing, and the toll of standing still. (With inputs from Anosha Rishi Kakanadan)
Forbes
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
15 Of The Most Famous First Sentences Across Literature
British novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) sat in his study in Gads Hill near Rochester, Kent ... More circa 1860. He wrote one of the best first lines in literature. Great opening lines to books set the tone for what's to come. Whether the beginning broaches a central issue in the book, creates the mood for the remainder of the novel, or introduces a character who will drive the action, the best first sentence of a book can make or break the reading experience. When readers feel intrigued by the start, they are much more likely to stick with a book. Plus, the best opening line of a book also establishes the narrator and suggests the perspective that will be presented going forward. This list of famous opening lines to books contains famous authors whose greatest gifts are on display. Memorable First Lines In Literature A good opening sentence usually tees up a story or a mood, or it tells a universal truth. People need to be hooked from the first line, or they may not continue with the book. If a book takes too long to make a point or begins with something unimportant, the reader loses interest. Well-known authors who have mastered the exceptional opening line include many of the greatest writers in literature, including Jane Austen, Toni Morrison, Sylvia Plath and Charles Dickens. These rankings are based on the quality of the writing, the reputation of the opening sentence within literary criticism, the enduring popularity of these classic novels, and how well the line sets up the novel. Jane Austen's classic novel concerning the roundabout courtship of the stubborn Elizabeth by the equally stubborn Mr. Darcy is nicely introduced by a truism about 19th-century marriage. Austen goes on to flout many rules of the era, but ultimately she unites her star-crossed lovers in accordance with tradition—thus proving that universal truth. This book is best for romance novel fans. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Cassandra Mortmain introduces herself to readers with an unexpected confession that establishes three things—she is small enough to still fit in a sink, she is unconventional and she is fearless. This coming-of-age tale about a teenage wannabe writer navigating an increasingly tumultuous home life maintains its fresh, unique point of view throughout. This book is best for those who enjoy quirky perspectives. Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle is available from publisher Macmillan. The opening line of this epic Latin American classic brilliantly uses foreshadowing to introduce the book's main character. Referencing childhood softens the colonel's military title, but looking ahead to his possible death suggests a chasm between childhood wonder and regret. The book spins the story of the Buendías spanning generations and examines themes of isolation. This book is best for those who enjoy magical realism. Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude is available from publisher HarperCollins. Truly, any of Morrison's books could make this list, but Paradise is particularly intriguing. Referring to 'the' white girl makes it clear everyone else is a different race—so why was she there and who else gets shot? The story of a small Black town facing white invaders answers those questions and more. This book is best for those looking for nuanced books about race. Toni Morrison's Paradise is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Talk about a universal truth. No matter what the reader's native tongue, they can understand the Russian author's point. Tolstoy weaves a narrative about an affair that could have been pure soap opera but instead explores the social mores of the 19th century while also examining the push and pull of societal norms and desires. This book is best for anyone who wants a heavy read with historical heft. Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Actress Alicia Vikander attends the premiere of the movie version of "Anna Karenina" at Florence ... More Gould Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012 in New York City. The novel has one of the greatest opening lines of a book. Most authors are coy when introducing an unreliable narrator. Not Vonnegut—he informs the reader right off the bat that some of what is told may be misleading or even untrue. Narrator Billy Pilgrim, a soldier, struggles after witnessing horrors during the war that threaten his relationship to time. This book is best for anyone open to a strong anti-war message. Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is available from publisher Penguin Random House. This may be the best-ever example of laying out a novella's central conceit in one succinct sentence. Gregor has turned into an insect overnight, and of course, anyone who reads this wants to know why. The rest of Metamorphosis explains how he got there and whether he can return to human form. This book is best for those who enjoy books about transformations (physical and/or metaphorical). Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is available from Simon & Schuster. The dichotomy between the first half of this opening sentence—just a brisk spring day—and the second part—the equivalent of pigs flying—forms a brilliant opener to Orwell's dystopian novel. Clearly, all is not right in this future where The Party controls everything, and one ordinary man dares to push back. This book is best for anyone who's ever wondered where the phrase 'Big Brother is watching' comes from. George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is available from publisher Simon & Schuster. Neale Hurston's writing style is pure poetry, and this opener captures the romance of the unknown. When you can't touch something, it always carries the promise of being exactly what you want; but no 'ship' grants everyone's wish. This treatise on gender and race inequality follows Janie as she falls in love with Tea Cake. This book is best for those who want to read a Harlem Renaissance classic. Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God is available from publisher HarperCollins. If the title wasn't enough to warn the reader, the first line tips it—this is not a book for the faint of heart. The narrator is going on two trips, one from the drugs, one to the edge of the desert, and neither seems well-planned. The book follows the journalist's epic journeys. This book is best for anyone interested in counterculture. Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Hunter S Thompson at his ranch standing against a bookcase with a Ralph Steadman picture on the wall ... More on October 12, 1990. He wrote one of the best opening lines in a book. Simple, to the point and unassuming, the opening line of Melville's whale of a tale introduces the plainspoken narrator—who, it turns out, may not be quite as reliable a narrator as it first seems (why not just say, 'my name is Ishmael'). He describes his captain's quest to hunt down the great Moby Dick. This book is best for those interested in social commentary who don't mind accompanying passages about whale blubber. Herman Melville's Moby Dick is available from publisher Simon & Schuster. So much of successful storytelling is about establishing time and place, and Plath does this beautifully with her opening line that delivers, if not an actual date and address, about as close as you can come. Her novel explores this clearly unsure narrator's descent into depression, partly due to societal expectations. This book is best for anyone who loves poetry and dark but lyrical writing. Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar is available from publisher HarperCollins. This line has become cliché for a reason—it perfectly sets tone, mood and expectations for this novel about a young girl's quest to find her lost father. The guileless tone and straightforward description (nothing flowery) create expectations that L'Engle fulfills for a thrilling yet winnable adventure. This book is best for children's literature fans. Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time is available from publisher Macmillan. Ellison's narrator lays it all on the line to start. He tells the reader that he is invisible, and it soon becomes apparent that this truth is a metaphor for Blackness in the early 20th century. The unnamed protagonist (unseen even by the reader) struggles to fulfill his dreams of professional success due to racism. This book is best for those who want to read about the harsh realities of the Jim Crow South. Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Dickens penned arguably the most famous opening line ever with his observation about how two things can be true at once, depending on your circumstances. The novel follows the saga of families in London and Paris who navigate tumultuous historical events as well as personal upheavals, including love, loss and even murder. This book is best for Dickens fans and epic family fiction lovers. Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is available from publisher Simon & Schuster. Bottom Line See which opening line appeals to you, and then enjoy a terrific read that builds on the imaginative opener. These books are all among the best ever written, and the opening lines are just one part of their genius. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What Are Great Book Passages? Great book passages combine several sentences to flesh out a character or move the plot forward by conveying a universal truth. This wonderful excerpt from E.B. White's Charlotte's Web (1952) gives insight into a relationship: ''You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.'' This incredible excerpt from Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting (1993) explains why life is worth living: 'Choose us. Choose life. Choose mortgage payments; choose washing machines; choose cars; choose sitting oan a couch watching mind-numbing and spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing *&%^in junk food intae yir mooth. Choose rotting away, pishing and *&%^eing yersel in a home, a total *&%^in embarrassment tae the selfish, *&%^ed-up brats ye've produced. Choose life.' How Do You Write A Captivating First Sentence For A Novel? Writing a good first sentence in a novel requires the same approach no matter what genre you write in—romance, fantasy, mystery or science fiction. The first line should give the reader a small insight into what your book is about while also introducing an essential element of the story. That element could be the central problem of the book, the narrator or another main character, or the location of the action, if that is important to your plot. The number of words don't matter, but how you use them does. Write the first line in the same style as the rest of the book. It may be easier to come back after you have finished the book and then write the first line. This also allows you to incorporate foreshadowing, a valuable literary tool. What Are Great Novel Closing Lines? Great novel closing lines summarize the point of the novel without getting preachy or repetitive. The final line from One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1962) sums up the utter banality of Ivan's life in the Soviet labor camp: 'There were three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days like that in his stretch. From the first clang of the rail to the last clang of the rail. The three extra days were for leap years.' The final line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) by J.K. Rowling confirms Voldemort, Harry's sworn enemy, has never returned: 'The scar had not pained Harry for 19 years. All was well.' How Do You Write A Good Book Ending? Writing a good book ending means deciding whether you want to end things with a neat bow, wrapping up all the book's loose ends, or keep the reader guessing, leaving some critical questions open to interpretation. The author has the prerogative on what to do here, but it's important to know that some genres, like mysteries, romances and children's books, tend to demand pat endings, while others don't. Book endings should address, if not outright resolve, most of the pressing plotlines in the book. Harkening back to the book's opening lines or themes can also provide a great finishing point for a novel. Maintaining the same tone and approach as the rest of the novel is critical for continuity. Of course, if you write a book series, you may want to use a cliffhanger to drive people to buy the next book, which presumably resolves your situation.
