Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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41: A book with an unreliable narrator
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- What are you reading this week?One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
- Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?
No, because there was much more to the story, the narrator was only a small part.
- What made the narrator unreliable?
The story takes place in a mental institution.
What are you reading this week?Final Girls by Riley Sager
Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?
I was afraid of that when picking a book, but when you find out at the outset of the book what makes the author unreliable, it doesn't negatively impact the book.
What made the narrator unreliable?
She suppressed memories of a very traumatic event, so she isn't sure what happened to her.
What are you reading this week?In the Woods
Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?
No, I still enjoyed it.
What made the narrator unreliable?
The narrator knew from the beginning how the mystery panned out, but he deliberated withheld information so the reader couldn't figure it out.
- What are you reading this week? We Have Always Lived in the Castle
- Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?
Not at all.
- What made the narrator unreliable?
She never gave the full explanations to what happened in the past and why people behaved like they did. It kept me invested all along, so it was great!
- What are you reading this week?Tortall: A Spy's Guide by Tamora Pierce
- Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?
Not at all - knowing the characters and their opinions made it fun to read in between the lines to find out what was really going on.
- What made the narrator unreliable? (Make sure to use the spoilers tag if needed for your response!)
The book is a series of letters and reports by various characters in the Tortall universe - they each share their own limited perspective, and so often readers are left to figure out the larger context and events on their own.
What are you reading this week?We are all Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler
Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you? I I think it adds to the mystery, as you're never sure whether one person's perception is the truth.
What made the narrator unreliable? (Make sure to use the spoilers tag if needed for your response!) I've just started reading it, so I can't say.
What are you reading this week?Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?
Not at all! I thought that trying to guess what was being left out added to the story.
What made the narrator unreliable?
One of the narrators says fairly early on that she wasn't telling the whole truth.
What are you reading this week?John Dies at the End by David Wong
Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you?
No
What made the narrator unreliable?
I'm not sure, I'd guess because the story was bonkers and unbelievable and even he wasn't sure whether some of it happened.
I had this prompt for a challenge this year and my pick was The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr. The main character has short term memory loss and you as a reader are sometimes in the dark about what's going on or if her memories are different than reality.
What are you reading this week? The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you? No, but I'm thinking about it a lot as I read it the novel.
What made the narrator unreliable? (Make sure to use the spoilers tag if needed for your response!) The novel oscillates in perspective - both in time and story - in the retelling of a family saga of two sisters. Iris, the narrator, is elderly and therefore, her memory is somewhat faulty. She also had a somewhat troubled relationship with her sister who lived a short and secretive life, so naturally her viewpoint could be skewed.
- What are you reading this week? I read Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch- Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you? Nope, because I hadn't planned on putting this here, but when I finished I decided it fit.....
- What made the narrator unreliable? (Make sure to use the spoilers tag if needed for your response!) Oh he was just crazy. Complete psychopath. Psychopaths are liars right? so therefore, unreliable. This is probably the most appalling book Ive ever read
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Summer House with Swimming Pool (other topics)The Blind Assassin (other topics)
John Dies at the End (other topics)
Code Name Verity (other topics)
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Herman Koch (other topics)Margaret Atwood (other topics)
David Wong (other topics)
Elizabeth Wein (other topics)
Riley Sager (other topics)
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Did knowing that the narrator was unreliable ruin the story for you? No.
What made the narrator unreliable? (Make sure to use the spoilers tag if needed for your response!) The book was about a group of people, all connected to the NYC theater in some way. Each character had a section, and of course their own personalities and points-of-view affected the way they perceived things.