Writing for Festivaltopia, Fritz von Burkersroda recommends “20 Books That Start at the End—and Still Surprise You”: One Hundred Years of Solitude and Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Márquez), The Secret History (Tartt), Fight Club (Palahniuk), The Book Thief (Zuzak), American Beauty (Ball), Before I Fall (Oliver), The Lovely Bones (Sebold), We Need to Talk About Kevin (Shriver), The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Díaz), An American Marriage (Jones), The Arsonist’s City (Alyan), Everything I Never Told You (Ng), Atonement (McEwan), Dark Places (Flynn), The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (North), They Both Die at the End (Silvera), The Sense of an Ending (Barnes), Revolutionary Road (Yates), and John Updike’s Rabbit, Run.
“Rabbit, Run opens with Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom running out on his family—not the lead-up, but the aftermath. The rest of the novel digs deep into the why, exploring freedom, failure, and the pressures of adulthood. Updike’s portrayal of postwar American life is as vivid as it is critical, painting Rabbit’s choices as both selfish and painfully human. The story’s realism and attention to detail have made it a staple in discussions of American literature. Critics highlight how Updike’s exploration of existential angst still feels modern, with the consequences of Rabbit’s actions rippling out in unexpected ways. The book’s unflinching honesty ensures that even if you know where it all starts, you’re never sure where it will end.”
‘Rabbit, Run’ and 20 other books that start with the ending
Writing for Festivaltopia, Fritz von Burkersroda recommends “20 Books That Start at the End—and Still Surprise You”: One Hundred Years of Solitude and Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Márquez), The Secret History (Tartt), Fight Club (Palahniuk), The Book Thief (Zuzak), American Beauty (Ball), Before I Fall (Oliver), The Lovely Bones (Sebold), We Need to Talk About Kevin (Shriver), The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Díaz), An American Marriage (Jones), The Arsonist’s City (Alyan), Everything I Never Told You (Ng), Atonement (McEwan), Dark Places (Flynn), The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (North), They Both Die at the End (Silvera), The Sense of an Ending (Barnes), Revolutionary Road (Yates), and John Updike’s Rabbit, Run.
“Rabbit, Run opens with Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom running out on his family—not the lead-up, but the aftermath. The rest of the novel digs deep into the why, exploring freedom, failure, and the pressures of adulthood. Updike’s portrayal of postwar American life is as vivid as it is critical, painting Rabbit’s choices as both selfish and painfully human. The story’s realism and attention to detail have made it a staple in discussions of American literature. Critics highlight how Updike’s exploration of existential angst still feels modern, with the consequences of Rabbit’s actions rippling out in unexpected ways. The book’s unflinching honesty ensures that even if you know where it all starts, you’re never sure where it will end.”