"to be left guessing"

Question

Also, in a novel like this, I would expect to be left guessing at the end as to what was real and what was imaginary, or supernatural.

I am not sure if I understand this sentence properly. My interpretation is as follows: the author says that he does not want the end of the book to reveal whether the facts presented in the story are imaginary or supernatural. But it seems to be very odd. I would await from the (horror) story exactly the opposite (clarification and and reducing the ambiguity) but in this case it would have to "stop guessing" instead of "left guessing". So what does "left guessing" mean in the context?

Answer 1

I took a look and found an origin quote. From which looks like the previous explanations are right. The author of comment was not satisfied, when the mystery was revealed and he stopped guessing, but it's even difficult to explain for him why he felt that.

Also, in a novel like this, I would expect to be left guessing at the end as to what was real and what was imaginary, or supernatural. This one spelled most of it out. When the mystery was revealed, it rang false to me. I can't explain why without massive spoilers, and I'm not sure I could articulate it anyway.

Answer 2

Also, in a novel like this, I would expect to remain/still be guessing at the end as to what was real and what was imaginary, or supernatural.

This seems to be directed at the reader, not the author.

The statement includes "I would expect", meaning it is the opinion of the person making this statement regarding what the reader will experience. Whether the reader will prefer this is not stated.