Who do you trust? Certainly you trust the narrator in the book you are reading to tell you exactly what is happening. But what if she/he is one of the many unreliable narrators in literature? What if the narrator's unreliability is never fully revealed but only hinted at, leaving you to wonder how much the narrator should be trusted and how the story should be interpreted? If you want to be left wondering what the real truth is, try these classics of the genre.
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
The narrator of this tale, Dr. Faraday, first visited Hundreds Hall, a decaying mansion in postwar England, as a child, when his mother, a servant at the great manor, brought him there for a party. He now returns on a professional call to treat the son of the widowed Mrs. Ayers and unknowingly enters a wickedly haunted house. His life soon becomes entwined with a family plagued by a terrifying past. Faraday, one of literature's more unreliable narrators, carries the reader swiftly along to the devastating conclusion.
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Liar is a YA suspense novel that elevates the unreliable narrator to a new level. Micah -- the narrator of this tale -- is a compulsive liar from a fraught background. Poor, biracial and from a less than stable family, she is a liar who fools everyone around her, including herself, over and over again. The reader is left questioning the truth. It is like a puzzle.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
This novel is a perfect example of unreliability. It is told in a series of letters by Kevin's mother, Eva, to her estranged husband, Franklin, and the reader is never quite sure of whether it is Eva or Kevin who exhibits the most disturbing behavior. The principal theme of nature versus nurture trickles down through the slow revelations of exactly what Kevin has done. We are left wondering if maybe this isn't all (or mostly) Eva's fault to begin with.
A Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee
The unreliable narrator in A Gesture Life is Doc Hata. This narrator is unreliable in his descriptions of family, past events, who he is and more. The reader must do a certain amount of detective work to figure out the truth and keep up with the story. This tension engages the reader and advances the plot.
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
My name is Towner Whitney. No, that's not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time... Towner Whitney is the self-confessed unreliable narrator of The Lace Reader and hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace. They have guarded a history of secrets going back generations. Here is a mesmerizing tale that spirals into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. You, as the reader will quickly and happily find that it is nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction.
