Discussion question

[rolanni]

Some While Back, I read an interview, it may have been, with an author who writes adult post-apocalyptic SF and also YA post-apocalyptic SF.

The single comment that stuck with me from this interview was that the author worked to make sure the YA work had a happy ending, because young readers deserved hope.

The implicit statement -- I don't remember at this remove if it was explicit -- being that adult readers don't deserve a happy ending.

Discuss.

Comments

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Well, I think there's a distinction between unrealistically happy and realistically happy. Say, heroine falls in love with nice guy, nice guy bites it, but the war is won because of him. Heroine mourns. Maybe too depressing for YA but acceptable for an adult audience?