What's the book with the best twist you've ever read?

[jayne10b]

Well that's the question really!!

My personal favourites for any other twist lovers are:

Fingersmith
An instance of the fingerpost
The murder of Roger Ackroyd

TIA

Jayne

[letthembe]

I love reading The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler with a class, especially with very streetwise boys. For children I also like Private Peaceful.

I just didn't see The Wasp Factory twist coming, love Iain Banks.

[Bramshott]

I've just finished Handle with Care by Jody Picoult which has a fairly stunning twist at the end.

[Idlegirl83]

My Sisters Keeper by Jodie Picoult - the last few pages of that book literally knocked the wind out of me! I was in tears!! The film completely did not live up to the book and I'm so glad I read the book first!

[pippitysqueakity]

Magic, by William Goldman. Old book now, but made me say 'no...no, that can't be right'

[MarkMarkMarkMark]

Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

[mattellie]

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (though not if you?ve seen the film!)

Also The War Zone by Alexander Stuart (but approach with caution, subject matter is incest)

[littlenuttree]

Definitely the Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. As soon as I finished it, I started reading it again to look for clues that I might have missed!

[Suncottage]

Jude the Obscure I agree with. Not for the faint hearted. Re-reading it now in the hope that the shock is somewhat abated.

[AprilRose]

Agreeing with My Sister's Keeper - was the first Jodie Picoult book I read and was completely not expecting that.

Obviously need to read Fingersmith! However, shall for now satisfy my thirst for twists by googling the twist in Kevin as I got barely a 1/4 of the way into the book before realising I hated it and was never going to make myself read the whole thing.

[FourFingeredKitkat]

1984, does that count as a twist?

[peeriebear]

Another vote for the Wasp Factory. I think I need to read it again :)

[Isitlargewineoclockyet]

Wasp factory, read it years ago and started my love affair with Iain Banks - Whit, pretty good twist as was The Crow Road (one of my favs ever)

Another vote for Fingersmith - a blinding twist, a real gasper!

Bought 'First instance of the fingerpost' after reading Fingersmith, but not read it, so maybe i will now.

Oh, and Prayer for Owen Meany, what a beautiful book, another fav. not so much a twist though as a great conclusion with possible interpretations.

Can somebody PM me on the twist in Atonement as read it but cannot remember there being a particular twist??

[aStarInStrangeways]

So, having just finished 'An Instance Of The Fingerpost'...what is this big twist everyone keeps going on about? Very good book and all but I didn't get any sense of a massive plot-shifting moment, just loads of ever-more intricate over plotting that shifted perspective on existing events. Maybe I'm just not interested enough in Restoration religion and politics to give a shit, but if anyone would care to enlighten me by PM I'd be most grateful :)

[Oumasrusks]

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I was absolutely not expecting the ending.

[Apocalypto]

Random Harvest, by James Hilton. Fab fab underrated writer.

I totally should have spotted it and completely didn't.

[Apocalypto]

@ aStarInStrangeways

Haven't read it but maybe it's just shit, like the Sixth Sense movie? The twist in that was bloody obvious within about 30 seconds of the beginning.

[Steeplearningcurve]

Love how this thread is reminding me of so many great books I have read! Especially agree with fingersmith and affinity- both made me gasp out loud on the train home- very embarrassing! And the thirteenth tale, had totally forgotten that one.

[RufousBartleby]

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin - loads of twists throughout. Love it!

[DilysPrice]

Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks is not as well-known as some of these(it's hard-core sf) but has a quite jaw-dropping twist - more than the Wasp Factory IMO.

Embarrassingly, though I have read Fingersmith quite recently, and enjoyed it, I can't actually remember the details of the twist - only that there is one.

And may I be the one to lower the tone with Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. All the books have a twist of sorts, but since I'm not eleven years old I more or less saw them all coming except for the one in book 4.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Agree re Goblet Of Fire! I had to re-read the whole thing again immediately to see what I'd misse, as I usually see twists coming.

I'm still astonished that so many people are saying Fingersmith. The whole book seemed so obvious and over-done to me.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Another thing I missed - a letter 'd!'

[piprabbit]

I came on here to post about The Wasp Factory and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd... but you lot best me to it .

[fatandknackered]

Sister by Rosamund Lupton. The best twist in any book I've ever read! Haunting.

[jayne10b]

Thanks everyone for your answers , some good recommendations. Another couple that have some element of a twist are The Quincunx by Charles Palliser, and The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins.