In regard to the ending, there were initially two ideas that seemed paramount. First, Harry had to cause immense destruction to everybody unlucky enough to exist in his immediate vicinity. In an earlier draft, his neighborhood was more densely populated so that his arson would destroy not just his house, but the entire surrounding area. This was simple enough. The second important thing—where I began to struggle—was that the flames could never touch Harry. He had to survive. He had to win. He had to be untouchable, and he could never be made to face the consequences of his actions. As everything burned around him, he had to stand triumphant.
I became increasingly uncomfortable with this concept as I continued writing. I feared it was overly pessimistic, but at the same time feared any other ending would be, in some sense, a lie. I grappled with this for a while before realizing it was simply my decision to make. In the end I chose to kill him, and I chose to do it gruesomely. It's the optimist in me!
- WL