Some more thoughts

Have recently read The Night Watch by Sarah Waters, Metroland by Julian Barnes and A Voice through a Cloud by Denton Welch. All in their own way had something to offer. Now nearing the end of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Am coming to the conclusion that the most peculiarly affecting moments in novels tend to come either at the very beginning or the very end. Endings and beginnings are among the most challenging moments for writers. Taking you into their world and ultimately releasing you at the end offer the best opportunities for working on your feelings. Perhaps it is something deep down in all of us which relates to beginning a journey and reaching the end of it. Its like the end of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde - where the singer gently repeats the word "Ewig" again and again as the voice almost disappears into the orchestral texture around it. Such moments occur also in the best writing - so that the effect lingers still after closing the book