In Continuation

The chase across the ice is the strangest courtship in literature, and Charlotte Gordon reads it exactly that way: Victor finally pursuing the only being he ever truly chose. Then three quiet words, Walton, in continuation, and the frame closes like a hand. Gordon turns the ending into a last lesson in reading, where the silences and bumpy places carry the meaning, finds the book's buried happy ending in a ship turning for home, and stays with the creature through a farewell written by a young woman who understood exactly why someone chooses to die. The last word belongs to him.

Content note: this episode includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you love is struggling, or thinking about suicide, you don't have to carry it alone. In the United States, you can call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free, confidential support lines by country.