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Writewords Forums » Favourite Writing » Unreliable Narrators
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This 29 message thread spans 2 pages: [1]  2  > >  
  Unreliable Narrators  MF at 09:27 on 21 March 2007
 

I'm working on a project featuring not just one, but TWO unreliable narrators. Am hoping to get inspired by looking at other books told from the POV of an unreliable narrator (eg. Barbara Covett from "Notes On a Scandal")

Any suggestions?
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  EmmaD at 10:12 on 21 March 2007
 

William Golding's
Rites of Passage
is the one that springs to mind. I haven't read the other two in the trilogy, but I assume they're the same. The most astonishing, brilliant novel, to my mind. There's also his novel
The Spire
. Not sure if he's technically unreliable - as in telling lies - but you're strongly aware that the central character has a very partial, subjective view.

Emma
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  MF at 11:54 on 21 March 2007
 

Thanks, Emma. To my shame, I've not read Golding since high school, so I shall defo look up those titles!
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  NMott at 11:56 on 21 March 2007
 

Which was the novel out last year where the guy's in a coma, but the reader's not sure if he's lapsing in and out of conciousness or it's all a dream?
That's about as unreliable as you can get.
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  geoffmorris at 12:05 on 21 March 2007
 

To the White Sea by James Dickey

When we we Orphans and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, though I think all of Palahniuk's narrators are unreliable to a degree

The Bridge by Iain Banks

Sayonara Bar by Susan Barker
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  geoffmorris at 12:06 on 21 March 2007
 

Naomi,

Was it Coma by Alex Garland?
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  geoffmorris at 12:07 on 21 March 2007
 

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  NMott at 12:33 on 21 March 2007
 

Could be Geoff. There seemed to be a spate of coma ones out at the same time.

  Re: Unreliable Narrators  scout at 12:33 on 21 March 2007
 

"We need to talk about Kevin" by Lionel Shriver provoked a lot of debate at my book group over just how unreliable the narrator was. (I thought very, others took pretty much everything she said at face value, which is interesting because it effectively meant we read completely different books.)
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  MF at 14:20 on 21 March 2007
 

Fab suggestions so far. Thanks, all!
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  NMott at 15:03 on 21 March 2007
 

Don't forget the four gospels.
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  MF at 16:46 on 21 March 2007
 

I'm not going to risk re-opening that one, Naomi

  Re: Unreliable Narrators  EmmaD at 08:45 on 22 March 2007
 



Yes, why didn't I think of Ishiguro? And actually Atonement sort of has an unreliable narrator, but you only discover that at the end, and to my mind it's one of the big flaws in a maddeningly flawed-though-wonderful book.

Emma
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  MF at 13:26 on 22 March 2007
 

Am about to start reading Atonement (I know, I know, about a hudnred years after everyone else) - can't wait!
  Re: Unreliable Narrators  Account Closed at 18:46 on 03 April 2007
 

Please someone define 'unreliable narrator'. Sorry for being thick, I kind of get the gist but would like some clarification.

JB
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