tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post3547901568398112519..comments2024-03-10T10:00:21.430-07:00Comments on A Tapestry Of Words: YA Reviews: Rants & Raves: You LIED to Me?danyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947267082874389487noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post-8622698327686928902012-11-28T20:08:54.095-08:002012-11-28T20:08:54.095-08:00I don't mind unreliable narrators when, like S...I don't mind unreliable narrators when, like Small Review said, the reader's given enough clues that it seems quite likely that they can't trust the narrator. Then it becomes a part of the mystery that has to be solved, and I agree, that can be fun!<br /><br />My issue is more when a narrator is *sometimes* unreliable, when it's convenient for the plot of the story. Say, if the reader's going along, happily believing everything the narrator's telling them (with no reason not to) and then all of a sudden the narrator decides they're not going to share this very pertinent piece of information with the reader. That bugs me, particularly if it's a 1st-person POV narration. <br /><br />Examples that spring to mind (because I recently reviewed them on the blog) would be Secret Letters by Leah Scheier and Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. They're both mysteries, and they both use something like the unreliable narrator technique at times to keep the reader confused/in the dark. danyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947267082874389487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post-63058339004528257962012-11-28T20:02:55.129-08:002012-11-28T20:02:55.129-08:00I bet it did — what a way to end it!I bet it did — what a way to end it!danyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947267082874389487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post-79189697645158219262012-11-28T20:01:37.549-08:002012-11-28T20:01:37.549-08:00Yes, exactly! I don't mind if I'm being le...Yes, exactly! I don't mind if I'm being led astray by my own assumptions or interpretation, but when the narrator is clearly lying or leaving something out (i.e. they know something and just aren't telling me) then I get really frustrated.danyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07947267082874389487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post-36715415527213050472012-11-28T18:06:44.179-08:002012-11-28T18:06:44.179-08:00I agree with Small Review. I like books where the ...I agree with Small Review. I like books where the reader is clued in on the fact that the narrator might be unreliable.<br /><br />Can you give me an example of some "unreliable narrator" books that disappointed you? I've never read any of these books myself, so I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about.Yaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14284662341383258359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post-68757131812624433352012-11-27T18:12:21.920-08:002012-11-27T18:12:21.920-08:00I agree, I think :)
I tend to like unreliable na...I agree, I think :) <br /><br />I tend to like unreliable narrators, but I like it when the author gives you enough to work with that you kind of suspect they're unreliable all along. That way the issue is less, "I trusted you and you're not at all who I thought you were!" and more like "Ha! I KNEW you were up to something!" and by the end I just find out the details of what exactly they were up to. <br /><br />That's my favorite kind of unreliable narrator. It makes it so unraveling their intentions/identity/whatever is as much a mystery and plot point as the actual plot. I think that's fun. <br /><br />I don't like it at all when an author pulls what feels like a bait and switch. It makes the whole book seem like a waste of time because it was one big lie and not a mystery you had a chance of figuring out. <br /><br />I also don't like it when authors do what you described with the mystery example. It's like they're bragging about being in on a secret that you don't know. It makes me feel like being petulant and saying, "Well fine! I don't care about solving your stupid mystery anyway!" Small Reviewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16072352095510905410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post-21003910005240411272012-11-24T06:01:59.097-08:002012-11-24T06:01:59.097-08:00That would be annoying! I can only think of one bo...That would be annoying! I can only think of one book I've read that had an unreliable narrator and that was "Jazz" by Toni Morrison, whom I adore. With "Jazz" she decided to play literary jazz and just let the book flow and not edit much. The narrator says in the beginning that a character is dead and at the end says, "Never mind; she didn't die." That's all I can remember about the book because it bothered me!Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16722529786758973223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076115639598447002.post-5485285649279667542012-11-23T14:29:10.372-08:002012-11-23T14:29:10.372-08:00Love this! I am generally not a fan of unreliable ...Love this! I am generally not a fan of unreliable narrators. Of course every first person narrator is unreliable in the sense that they're telling a story with their own bias and opinions, but when a narrator is intentionally misleading the reader? It's just not for me. I don't mind working a bit to dig at the truth, but when all we get are falsities and more questions instead of answers it really bugs me.Ashley @ Book Labyrinthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02395484656811182553noreply@blogger.com