No really, I think I did. I chose the most reckless courses of action whenever I could because hey, it's an adventure! I didn't wait for Ricardo and Lisa to back me up. I didn't run away from the chimpanzees. I definitely didn't call the police for help and instead decided to sneak up to the house later. And then I figured out the case in "four hours and forty-one minutes," and it was suddenly over. I couldn't help but feel cheated. Did I do it wrong? Why don't I get to keep going? I retraced my steps and tried taking other routes, some of which were slightly longer and more satisfying, but mostly kind of stupid and two-dimensional. I don't feel as if mystery is the best genre for this kind of choose-your-own ending book. Mystery and detective stories imply layers of questions, clues, and complexity. They take time. It doesn't feel right when they wrap up so suddenly. Are all of the endings like this? I'm not inclined to trace every single possibility to its conclusion...
After finishing my particular version of The House of Danger, I was strongly reminded of Margaret Atwood's short story, "Happy Endings," in which she offers multiple scenarios--"A" through "F"--to the reader. But, she writes, "The only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die." I have a hunch that The House of Danger will always end with the detective solving the case (and then dying, eventually, of course).
"That's about all that can be said for plots," Atwood writes, "which anyway are just one thing after another, a what and a what and a what. Now try How and Why." Obviously children's books can skimp on the deep stuff--the How and Why--and still be successful. When do we decide it's appropriate to want more than the What?
To answer your initial question (oh no spoilers): No, sometimes you do die/something bad happens to you. I definitely agree with your experience of feeling "cheated." Thankfully you can write a whole new chapter by yourself to expand upon those endings as you so please. YAY!
ReplyDeleteAlso, my simple answer to your last question would be expectations. If you expect more than the What, then it is appropriate to want more than the What. As you pointed out, nobody expects more out of a children's book then the plot. My answer may seem a bit shallow, so may I suggest a more specific question? Should we simply discount the How and Why, because the object in question may have a label (i.e. children's book) that does not garner such expectations?