It started because I'd found my signed copy of The Goldfinch in a box in the attic. From there, I fell down the Donna Tartt rabbit hole and started wondering why one of my favourite writers hadn't published a novel in more than a decade.
Well, here we are again. On 23 September 2026, it will be thirteen years since The Goldfinch was first published. Thirteen years without a new Donna Tartt novel and, this time, we've officially entered uncharted territory.
.png "Why do some brilliant novels stumble at the final hurdle? From The Goldfinch and Prophet Song to Yesteryear and One Day, I explore why unforgettable books sometimes leave readers deeply disappointed.")
You can spend days immersed in a novel, recommend it to friends before you've even finished it, and carry the characters around in your head. Then you reach the final chapter and something doesn't quite land. The ending feels rushed, overly clever, relentlessly bleak, or simply at odds with everything that came before.
It raises an uncomfortable question. Can a bad ending ruin a great novel? I'm asking as I have read a slew of novels recently where this has been the experience.