The last word

Someone told me that if you want to know what a book is really about just read the last word.

Will Schwalbe, Books for Living

This sounds ridiculous, that one need read only the last word in a book to know what it is about. It makes about as much sense as phrenology or astrology. Even so I decided to put it to the test with some of the books I’ve read over the last few months.

Schwalbe’s own book passes the test, which perhaps should not be surprising. His last word is life, which sums up the book as as well as any single word I can think of.

Most of the fiction I’ve read lately does not come close. Yet there are exceptions. The final word in Richard Russo’s Nobody’s Fool is contentment, which nicely reflects the end of the novel, if not the novel itself. The last word in Whiskey Island by Les Roberts is Cleveland. The plot revolves around political scandal and murder in Cleveland. Felix J. Palma’s The Map of the Sky ends with love. A love story does lie at the center of this sci-fi adventure, so OK.

Now let’s look at some nonfiction books:

The Rhine by Ben Coates. Last word: goes. This is a travel book, but still that seems a stretch. Verdict: Fail.

This Idea Is Brilliant edited by John Brockman. Last word: future. This is a book of essays about science, and science does point toward the future. Verdict: Pass, but just barely.

Seduction: Sex, Lies and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood by Karina Longworth. Last word: life. Almost any word in the subtitle would make a better summary. Verdict: Fail.

Wonderland by Steven Johnson. Last word: play. The book is about how recreation and the pursuit of pleasure has, through history, led to surprising developments. Verdict: Pass.

The Girl at the Baggage Claim by Gish Jen. Last word: triumph. Verdict: Fail.

What Is the Bible? by Rob Bell. last word: telling. Verdict: Fail.

How to Read Poetry Like a Professor by Thomas C Foster. Last word: imagination. One needs imagination both to write poetry and to read it. Verdict: Pass.

It’s All Relative by A. J. Jacobs. Last word: Earth. Jacobs argues that everyone on Earth is on the same family tree. So let’s be generous. Verdict: Pass.

Life with Father by Clarence Day. Last word: it. Verdict: Fail.

Bob and Ray by David Pollock. Last word: did. Verdict: Fail.

Words on the Move by John McWhorter. Last word: fun. Well, the book is fun, at least if one loves language and McWhorter’s sense of humor. Verdict: Pass.

So that’s five out of 11, which is much better than I expected.