# Can a book be too Suspenseful?



## Roberto Scarlato (Nov 14, 2009)

Currently working on a future blogpost and wanted to hear your answers on the subject.

Long time ago I started reading a thriller that had, I kid you not, a twist on every page.

The book was 400 pages.

It was built up so much that eventually I just chucked the book in a closet and gave up halfway through.

So my question to you is, can a book ever be too suspenseful to the point that it backfires?

What book made you feel that way and why?


Your answers are well appreciated and will be quoted to the blog post with your name and link to your books.


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## dkgould (Feb 18, 2013)

If an author uses twists and unreliable narrators too often, I don't think it builds suspense, I think it breaks it. Because after a while, the reader is going to realize that things like this just don't happen in life and they will stop suspending their disbelief. It's like any other device: coincidence, luck (good or ill), nefarious omniscient plotting by the villain, etc. Once, twice in a book and I'll go along for the ride. More than that? That's just silly. And silly isn't suspenseful.

As far as being _too_ suspenseful, I think that's more in the reader's head than on the page. The reader will eventually think, "This is too stressful. I can't take it anymore." What do they do? They usually don't stop reading. Instead they "cheat" and read the last few pages of the book. Then most of them go back and read the rest of the middle in peace, still enjoying it. I love a truly suspenseful novel, one that balances tricks like twists with excellent writing. The only one that _almost_ made me read the end first was An Instance of the Fingerpost by Ian Pears. I loved that book but I was nervous the entire time I read it. The threshold was in my own head though, it wasn't for the author to decide when my stress levels were too high, because everyone is different.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

The book I found that had more twists than a barrel of snakes was _$200 and a Cadillac_. It got to the point where I wondered how many more snakes can they fit in this barrel.
I finished it but it was hard.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I've read a few books where the author is obviously trying too hard to build suspense, and as a previous poster said, that just breaks it for me. The latest example I've read is Steve Berry's _The Jefferson Key_. I rapidly skipped through the last third of the book to see the resolution because I just wasn't interested in the POV switching every few paragraphs to try to ratchet up the tension. It was almost as irritating as a series book I read last year where the bad guy got killed at the end of every section, only to turn up again a chapter or so later. Surprise! He wasn't really dead. But the story was.

Mike


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

If the suspense builds yet maintains credulity, it's okay to have a lot going on in the book. However, if the author leaves it to the very end to tie up too many loose ends, the ending can feel rushed and unsatisfactory. I prefer to read books with no more than 2 or 3 plots going on.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Too much suspense? Oh yes. I start thinking "nobody can be this unlucky", if things constantly go wrong. Besides, I think you need to be able to take a breather now and again as a reader, to sit back and take stock of what's happening in the world of your book instead of being constantly smacked between the eyes with the next bit of drama. Too much drama rapidly becomes melodrama, IMO.


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## Mark Young (Dec 13, 2010)

Every novel needs to pace itself, even very suspense-driven plots. Like a runner, I do not believe a reader feels like running full out in a story trying to keep up. A little breather, now and then, is appreciated.


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## Nigel Mitchell (Jan 21, 2013)

Mark Young said:


> Every novel needs to pace itself, even very suspense-driven plots. Like a runner, I do not believe a reader feels like running full out in a story trying to keep up. A little breather, now and then, is appreciated.


I agree with that. I can't say I've ever read a book that had too much action and suspense, but I have read books where I felt so much tension that it became exhausting. Good writers balance action scenes with quiet scenes. I think the quiet scenes actually build up excitement for the later scenes.


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## jeffaaronmiller (Jul 17, 2012)

Pacing is definitely a tricky thing. Too much of a good thing becomes tiresome, whether it's twists and turns or suspense. That goes for almost anything. Too many fight scenes. Too many gory scenes. A good book knows how to space these things out just enough to keep you wanting to read.


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## Robena (Jan 19, 2013)

I don't like to exhaust the reader, but I write romantic suspense and not thriller. I get to slow the pace a bit with a sensual scene, which is suspenseful in a different way.


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## Brownskins (Nov 18, 2011)

Roberto Scarlato said:


> can a book ever be too suspenseful to the point that it backfires?
> What book made you feel that way and why?


Reader opinion: Yes, it is possible for an overload to backfire. I did not find it at suspenseful in the end but rather, way beyond plausible - I am thinking of Angels and Demons. Without touching on the style, editing, and gaps in the plot, the timeline is what made it impossible to accomodate the twists and turns that the author included in the story. _[This is no longer on-topic but wanted to point out: When I think of a TV series like 24, somehow the suspense-twist-overload worked, at least for the first few seasons. Maybe it has to do with the fact that there was a week in between each episode/hour, enough time to make the viewer kind of lazy to evaluate consistency/timeline/believability.] _


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## RedDust (Apr 4, 2013)

It's about balance, finding just the right amount to keep the reader hooked and not over do it to the point the reader loses interest. When i read a book called Sector C, the mystery and build up of the story was so long that when the twist came i had little interest even though i was determined to finish the book.


Sam


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## Lyle S Tanner (Apr 5, 2013)

Yes. Pacing can be hard and you want to keep your reader interested every step of the way, but at a certain point you just get tired. Suspense works so much better when you have a chance to breathe a little. If there's constant twists being thrown at you and the narrators are completely unreliable, I've found that I just get tired of it all and put the book down because I'm just waiting for them to get to the damn point. Especially if the narrator is lying to me constantly, because then I start feeling stupid for believing them _again_ when I know that they cannot be trusted.

One exception, though. John Dies at the End is free to lie to me all it wants.


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## Carrie Rubin (Nov 19, 2012)

Lyle S Tanner said:


> Suspense works so much better when you have a chance to breathe a little.


Agreed. Even in the most suspenseful of books, we as the reader need a little respite.


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## nightdreamer (Oct 8, 2012)

I can't think of that happening in any book I've read, but it happens far too often in movies, especially what they try to pass off as "horror" films these days.  More than once I've shouted, "Give me a break!" and given up.  What should have already been over in any intelligent plot defies all sense of realism and just goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on...


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## Robert A Michael (Apr 30, 2012)

I think that too many twists or suspenseful moments tend to desensitize the reader.  It would be similar to a singer who started screaming out the melody in the verses and then just yelled louder during the chorus.  I like books that have regular mini-twists, but to achieve that, an author has to establish a baseline of expectation.  I cannot be moved, surprised, or frightened by a twist if I don't already have a sense of security or normalcy.

I know it is trendy to begin novels with an impacting conflict: someone is dead, someone is dying, someone is cheating, someone got fired, someone is homeless, heartbroken or lost.  However, after this initial conflict is set, a reader gets an opportunity to breathe.  The crime is solved, the MC finds a new romance, or at least a potential for one, etc.  We get character development, the plot moves along briskly and twists and turns are a few chapters ahead of us.  

Suspense is something that should BUILD, not be thrown around like Jason Statham in "Crank."  Although some genres may support this sort of constant conflict (men's adventures, action adventure, military adventure, spy/thrillers, etc.), most stories need to have hills and valleys, plateaus and plains in order to give the reader a chance to like the characters, understand the over-reaching plot, and to get a sense of realism.


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## dkgould (Feb 18, 2013)

Robert A Michael said:


> Suspense is something that should BUILD, not be thrown around like Jason Statham in "Crank."


lol that's AWESOME! I love that analogy.


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## Robena (Jan 19, 2013)

I read _The Hunger Games _ for book club. Was exhausted by the pacing but still couldn't put it down. Hated the ending. Never did read the rest of the series.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

For me there's no such thing as too much suspense, but it's possible for a book to lack enough resting places where I can stop to catch my breath. I like the occasional pause in action once in awhile so I can take a break and come back later. Some readers might feel differently and want non-stop action. It just depends on the person.


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## brand66 (Apr 16, 2013)

Yes! I agree,Even in the most suspenseful of books, we as the reader need a little respite.


..............................................................
brand66


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I've followed this thread a bit, but not sure what I feel, as I think that suspense and the amount of action (plot twists or not) are separate things, though obviously can feed off of each other. Ultimately, it all seems to point to my ultimate answer for such things: a really good author has some combination of instinct, experience, and willingness to make major edits to achieve just the right balance to accomplish his/her goals.

Plot twists are a tool that can build suspense. Action scenes can do the same. Descriptive scenes can be a tool to set a suspenseful mood. Effective character dialogue and/or introspection concerning suspenseful situations can get us to empathize with them. The job of the author is to select which tool to use when: not just stick with always using a hammer all the time.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Plot twists are a tool that can build suspense. Action scenes can do the same. Descriptive scenes can be a tool to set a suspenseful mood. Effective character dialogue and/or introspection concerning suspenseful situations can get us to empathize with them. The job of the author is to select which tool to use when: not just stick with always using a hammer all the time.


Or, even if a hammer is the right tool, sometimes it needs to be a tack hammer and sometimes a sledge. And, you know, sometimes the heel of a shoe works.


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## Robert A Michael (Apr 30, 2012)

Many authors who are known for their suspense/action often have less tension-packed scenes than you would think.

For example, I recently read THE ENEMY by Lee Childs.  If I remember correctly, there were only 2 fight scenes in the entire book.  Yet, the problems that arose trying to solve the crimes, the personal stakes of Reacher's career and the health of his mother, as well as the romance all made the book very suspenseful.  

There are a tone of great examples like that, but that is one I read recently that stood out as a good example.


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## jaywatkins (Apr 18, 2013)

i think a book should have a certain amount of suspence to keep the readers attention, but at some point, as a reader, I get tired of trying to keep it all together in my head and just put it down.


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## Suz Ferrell (Jan 29, 2012)

A good suspense has to balance the action (scene) with the reaction (sequel), where the protagonist has time to catch their breath, even if only for a moment and make plans, which will probably go wrong in the next scene. Recently we watched the latest Die Hard movie and it felt like there was so much action/twists that we never really got the plot or the heroes' reaction to what was going on. It was exhausting.


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## writerpilot (Apr 18, 2013)

Yep. As you know, you already threw one book in the trash because of that.  A few years back I wrote such a book. It proved to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of novel. I had people write to me and tell me that they held their baby with one hand and the book with the other.  I had people write to tell me they were camping and had to read it by flashlight in order to finish it.  I also had people write to tell me they couldn't make it past the first chapter, or they didn't like the kind of action that was going on. So yes, it can be too suspenseful. It can also be the wrong kind of suspense.


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## MadCityWriter (Dec 8, 2011)

Drives me nuts when every scene builds and ends on a cliff hanger just as you are getting interested.  Dan Brown did that in the DaVinci Code. Obviously the strategy worked well for him, but I like to savor a book, even a suspenseful one, and the constant cliffhangers detracted from the story for me.


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