Ask Jonathan Coe - Thursday, October 31st! discussion

I know that this chat is supposed to be about Coe's newest book, but I had a question about The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim, so I thought I'd throw it out there and see what happens. To be fair, this book had moments of genuine humor and profound sadness. In these respects, I found it very effective. But I didn't understand the necessity of ending it as it did and I was wondering if the author could shine a light on this. It reminded me a lot of the way Vonnegut ended Breakfast of Champions, but frankly, I felt his appearance as author/god was much more convincing. Maybe this is because his authorial character is vulnerable. After being frightened by a huge dog that he's neglected to include in the novel, he develops a horrible, though funny, medical condition I won't bother to describe. On the other hand, Coe's authorial appearance seems too god-like and almost cruel. I felt like Sim had been threw enough already. Why did he have to be erased and trivialized by his creator?