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Unreliable Narrator Novels

Last post 19/05/12 at 12:35 by nick909, 17 replies
Post started by nick909 on 26/01/12 at 08:26

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  • nick909 avatar
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    Posted by: nick909 26/01/2012 at 08:26
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    I do love a good novel with an unreliable narrator.  Whether it's naivety, youthfulness, eccentricity, willing deceitfulness or insanity that prevents the narrator from seeing or representing things as they are; in the hands of a clever author it can be a deft touch that adds further layers to a good book.

    Some faves:

    The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

    Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

    The Secret History - Donna Tartt

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

    The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters

    The Turn of the Screw - Henry James

     

    Any other recommendations?

     

     
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    Posted by: Underachiever 26/01/2012 at 20:13
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    A book I loath, but would have to acknowledge is Money by Martin Amis. One I enjoyed (rather than endured) is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
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    Posted by: InkyP 26/01/2012 at 21:21
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     Life of Pi - Yann Martel

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    Posted by: leadlearner 26/01/2012 at 21:44
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    The Collector - John Fowles, The murder of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christie,,The Instance of the Fingerpost , Ian pears,
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    Posted by: cariad2 28/01/2012 at 09:33
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    From what I remember of my A-levels, Wuthering Heights had an unreliable narrator. But I wouldn't recommend it - I hated that book.

     

    The inclusion of Huckleberry Finn made me think. I tend to think of an unreliable narrator as one who, to a greater or less extent, deliberately misleads the reader. Maybe to put a favourable light on their own actions.

    But, thinking about it, it would also include essentially innocent narrators whose interpretations of events are incorrect due to their naivety or their unquestioning acceptance of adults' social norms.
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    Posted by: cariad2 28/01/2012 at 09:38
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    This is a great audio version of Huckleberry Finn. The reader is just perfect for the story. I downloaded it for free, put it onto my Kindle, plugged in my earphones and spent many happy nights listening to it on holiday last summer - it was ideal when I didn't want to disturb Mr C or Cariadlet by putting on the light and reading.

    http://www.loudlit.org/works/hfinn.htm

     
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    Posted by: sleepyhead 28/01/2012 at 15:08
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     The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry
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    Posted by: nick909 28/01/2012 at 19:19
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    cariad2:

    The inclusion of Huckleberry Finn made me think. I tend to think of an unreliable narrator as one who, to a greater or less extent, deliberately misleads the reader. Maybe to put a favourable light on their own actions.

    But, thinking about it, it would also include essentially innocent narrators whose interpretations of events are incorrect due to their naivety or their unquestioning acceptance of adults' social norms.

    I completely agree.  A more recent (and more extreme) example might be Room by Emma Donoghue.  A child's distorted view of the world, formed entirely by very limited experiences and his complete trust in his mother's explanations for everything.  The reader, through subtle and some less than subtle nuances gradually builds up a picture of what's really going on, with dawning horror, whilst the narrator remains oblivious.

    Thanks for the link to the download of the audiobook...just the thing to 'read' at night, with Mrs909's recently developed aversion to light when she sleeps!

    Great suggestions everyone - keep them coming.
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    Posted by: ladymarm 28/01/2012 at 20:13
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    Read this with interest:absolutely loved the Secret history and The Little Stranger. Cant get into Never let me go.

     

     
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    Posted by: thebigonion 29/01/2012 at 00:35
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    Not novels, but many of Edgar Allen Poe's short stories have deeply unreliable narrators.

    The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes - deeply unreliable...
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