Quadrophenia (1979) Novelization

Quadrophenia the novel, by Alan Fletcher. Corgi edition published 1979. First publication in Great Britain.

I don't know much about the author. The style is loose and full of idiosyncratic touches where emotional turmoil is described via impressionistic text. The book alternates between third and first person and fleshes out the context of the film very nicely. The Who's lyrics are featured throughout the book, in perhaps a more direct way than in the film.

The book opens with a definition of how amphetamines work. There is a difference of opinion between audience members regarding the ending of the film. The entire end sequence--a dramatic depiction of the song "I've Had Enough"--involves Jimmy the Mod driving a scooter around some cliffs. The last shot before the credits shows the scooter crashing on the rocks beneath the cliffs. Many take that to mean that Jimmy killed himself by driving off the cliff. However, the FIRST shot of the film clearly shows Jimmy walking away from the cliff as the sun is setting. This clearly shows that Jimmy is in fact still alive.

So, for me, Jimmy does not die at the end of the film. He rejects the life he has been living, which is represented by the crashing of the scooter. This is far more rewarding in my opinion than having him kill himself. Just my opinion, mind you.

The novelization does NOT clear this up, by the way.