How Master Storyteller T.C. Boyle Find His Stories’ Endings

Critically acclaimed American author T.C. Boyle is beloved for his rich, multi-layered stories whose social commentaries about American culture cut to the quick. His most recent book, The Harder They Come, was released this Spring and is already getting rave reviews as an important critique of how mental illness and armed violence are discussed (or swept under the rug) in contemporary America.

The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle

The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle

Boyle has written 23 distinct books, which are as diverse in theme and plot as their characters are distinct. A common thread among his books, however, is the way in which they are crafted to end. Boyle discusses his creative process and the deliberate open-ended-ness of his bok endings in a recent interview with The Atlantic:

“I think the best endings bring you back in, rather than close things off with absolute finality. I’m not saying they necessarily have to be ambiguous, but we don’t always need to know what happens when everyone wakes up tomorrow morning.”

Boyle has been a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California since 1978. When he isn’t teaching and writing in Los Angeles, he makes appearances around the county discussing his books and the craft of writing. If you’d like to invite T.C. Boyle to speak at your next literary event, contact Books In Common.

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