I read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro recently and until page 108 I didn’t have the faintest idea what was going on and it got me thinking about books told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator. We’ve noticed a trend for this type of narration recently, Gone Girl, Room, Girl on the Train, and it got us thinking about recommendations, if you love stories that unfurl slowly and often lie to you along the way.
As always, we threw it out to you and from your suggestions, we have twenty books with an unreliable narrator:
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
Love it, hate it, it was the big book of last year and there’s no doubting that Rachel, often blacked out from alcohol was a totally unreliable narrator leaving the reader often guessing about what was happening.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie
The classics are always the best and in second place is the queen of suspense, Agatha Christie with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Not the only Christie book suggested, but the only one to make the top 20.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd US
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd UK
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
I read Gone Girl before the hype and found the book infuriatingly unreliably narrated, leaving me changing my mind with every chapter. A psychological thriller akin to a rollercoaster ride.
Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane
Creepy Gothic fiction set in an asylum, it’s Shutter Island, there’s a storm, a policeman investigating a disappearance and all is not how it seems.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident is an award winning novel and for good reason, this fantastic mystery is told from the perspective of a young boy with autism and it’s a great read.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time US
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time UK
Fight Club – Chuck Palahnuik
The movie popularity far outstrips the popularity of the book in the case of Fight Club, but the only thing we know is that we shouldn’t be talking about it!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle was the final work of Shirley Jackson and is a classic gothic thriller, with a twist
We Have Always Lived in the Castle US
We Have Always Lived in the Castle UK
My Sister’s Keeper – Jodo Picoult
My Sister’s Keeper is often mentioned in our polls, and it’s often the very dramatic and unexpected ending that people either love, or hate. Guaranteed to keep you guessing until the last page.
A Series of Unfortunate Events – Lemony Snicket
This children’s favourite has been adapted for both movie and television and has an ever changing story that is sure to keep you turning the pages.
A Series of Unfortunate Events US
A Series of Unfortunate Events UK
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Set in World War II Germany, narrated by Death. Need we say more?
11. Turn of the Screw – Henry James
12. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
13. Lolita – Vladimir Nabakov
14. The Talented Mr Ripley – Patricia Highsmith
15. Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut
16. The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner
17. The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
18. The Tell Tale Heart – Edgar Allen Poe
19. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
20. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
Can you think of any more? Feel free to add them in the comments!
Word of the Day – Proximo
For Reading Addicts Book of the Year 2024
Word of the Day – Preponderate
How about referencing (or even acknowledging) The Talent Mr Ripley bu Patricia Highsmith, one of the most important crime writers and proponents of the unreliable narrative in modern crime writing history
Three more fantastic books with unreliable narrators are Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan, Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, and Try Not To Breathe by Holly Seddon. I loved them all!
The Murder of Roger Akroyd by Agatha Christie. The original rule-breaker and Gotcha!