I don’t know what to even say. This started off interesting and went completely off the rails (in a bad way) at like the 30 percent mark. And the worst part was this was also boring. Even the whole why behind the murders was so dumb I had nothing to even say except okay then. I think Clarke wanted to say something about writing, art, etc. but I just kept going, this is boring and oh I guess that’s another murder. Clarke was going for a bit of Agatha Christie and her And Then There Were None, but it read more like, well I guess there were some?
The Ending Writes Itself follows several midlist writers who are invited to blockbuster bestseller Arthur Fletch’s private island. Two of the writers are married couple, Sienna and Malcolm (the thriller writers), Millie (young adult), Priscilla (romance), Jaxon (science fiction), Kenzo (horror), and Cate (never published, but apparently writes crime). They are told after signing some NDAs that Arthur Fletch died without finishing his final novel. They were brought there because they are midlist and the publisher and editor both think that one of them can finish the book. They all have 72 hours to write the ending to the novel. The best writer wins. And then the deaths start to follow.
You would think that is a great set-up. But Clarke was so boring with it. The first 50 percent or so is just everyone’s backstory. I was bored senseless. And then we get a reveal, another reveal, and then more backstory, and then murder. At that point I didn’t even care who was taking people out one by one. I was just wondering how long it was going to take to wrap things up.
You would think a private island and whole castle be a fun setting. But I was legit confused how everything was positioned. I think Clarke should have included a list of everyone and a map of the grounds and rooms. If you are going to mimic Christie, you should mimic some of the best parts of her books.
The ending was really bad in the end I thought. It just didn’t make a lot of sense and it seemed to be begging for another reveal/twist there at the end.
