I recently watched the movie Ladder 49. The story begins with a fireman falling after saving someone and becoming trapped. Then it's all flashbacks telling this fireman's story until we're all caught up.
and he dies.
ahhhhh!
I spent two hours watching this movie and became attached to this character. Then they kill him? And lest some of you who've read my historicals say something about the pot meeting the kettle let me say yeah, I know.
But it got me to thinking. Why kill off characters? In this movie was it perhaps to make us realize just how much sacrifice our firefighters and their families face. But what about Message In A Bottle? Was their any justification to kill off the hero other than the fact that it would make all of us reach for our hankies? Does that make a book a wall-banger for you? (It did me in that instance)
So what do you think? Can we get away with it as writers or do we all need that happily ever after?
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After I read MIAB I didn't throw the book, although I was tempted, but I have not read any of his other books!
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