It’s time for Top 10 Tuesday again! This week we are looking at books that caught us by surprise – for better or for worse – and I’m sticking to the “plot twist”. Here are 10 books that went to a totally unexpected place for me.
1 | Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
All that obsession with the first Mrs. Maxim de Winter was bound to end some time.
2 | The Queen of Attolia/ The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
A thief ends up marrying the lady who cut off his hand.
3 | One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
A brainiac, an athlete, a princess, a criminal and a “basket case” walk into detention.
4 | Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
No, Jane – Rochester is not the hero you thought him to be…
5 | Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
There are worlds within worlds, and nothing is as simple as it seems.
6 | Game of Thrones/ A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
Anyone remember the infamous Red Wedding scene (from the show)? Phew!
7 | The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Epic and sensational – not a Biblical premise anyone could’ve guessed.
8 | In the Woods by Tana French
The reveal of the culprit was slow and right at the end – made me rant full time.
9 | The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo
Not the whodunnit, but the how-dunnit was the real plot twist here.
10 | We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Heart-wrenching tale full of strange experiments and the repercussions.
So, what’s your list looking like? Any jaw-dropping plot twists, unexpected endings, other things that caught you by surprise?
15 replies on “In Praise of the Plot Twist”
Rebecca was very interesting for sure!
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
I still remember watching the Red Wedding on Game of Thrones and being horrified. Good times good times 😛
I read The Thief a long time ago, and always meant to continue with Megan Whalen Turners books. Sounds like I should!
One of Us is Lying is a book I wondered if I should give a chance. I see it on several lists or social media plus I do love a good mystery now and then. 😉 Thanks so much for visiting my website today.
Brontë, Brown, Clarke – yep, all these would be on my list if I did one! Mind you, the Dan Brown ‘who-cares-who-done-it’ was a load of bollards, as was Holy Blood, Holy Grail from where he took many of his ideas. Piranesi was just utter delight, and Jane Eyre absolutely deserved nine-tenths of its reputation.
The only tales with plot twists I’m dubious about are the ones recounted by an unreliable narrator – that’s just not playing fair with the reader. Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, which I read recently, has one foot in this category I think.
Oooh, plot twists was a great way to take this week’s TTT topic! I remember trying to avoid spoilers for Jany Eyre before I read it, but alas. It’s assumed that after high school everyone knows what happens in that book, so I got spoiled before reading the plot twist.
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2023/09/05/top-ten-tuesday-books-that-defied-my-expectations/
You have some really great choices here! I have read and loved many of the plot twists.
I’m racking my aging memory trying to remember some of these twists! Ha ha. It’s amazing how fast book plots completely disappear from my mind…
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Even though I had seen the Hitchcock adaptation of Rebecca before I read the book, I was still really surprised by that plot twist – that the movie couldn’t get away with!
The only one on your list I’ve read is Jane Eyre, but it was so long ago that I can’t remember anything about it. I guess that’s what happens when you’re forced to read a book for school, and then over 30 (gulp!) years have passed. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/books-ive-stopped-reading-recent-reads/
That Jane Eyre plot twist is pretty wild. Like what you did with this week’s topic!
A Game of Thrones. SO many twists and turns! One Of Us Is Lying…
I’ve heard a lot about Rebecca too.
This is a great list! I’m all for the plot twist, although if it’s not done well or it’s too predictable, it can be such a letdown. My favorite part of your post is the one sentence taglines for the books though! They’re priceless.
In the Woods was one of those books that left me thinking about it for days…and days. Fun take on this week’s TTT! 😀
As I recall, In the Woods (maybe her best book?) never really answered what happened to the boys in the woods. The ending of that book was so sad with Rob losing everything that mattered to him! But I always recommend this book to people going to Ireland.
I need to continue with the Attolia books – I think I own them all but have only read the first one.