Reclusive Bilbiophile's "If You Like" theme for the week is: unreliable narrators.
If it's been a while since you sat in English class -- or maybe you dozed off a bit while you were there -- an unreliable narrator is ... a big fat liar.
Okay, maybe that's too harsh. Maybe the narrator just isn't very objective. Or is in denial. Or crazy. Sometimes the narrator will fess up to being untrustworthy at the outset, while other times his or her deceit isn't revealed until the end of the book. That's my favorite -- the Shocking Twist!
Here's my list of YA books with unreliable narrators:
Liar by Justine Larbastelier
The Thief by Megan Whelan Turner
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
I Am The Cheese by Robert Cormier
After by Amy Efaw
Chime by Frannie Billingsley
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Here are some of my favorite movies with unreliable narrators:
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Shutter Island (2010)
Tell me who your favorite unreliable narrators are...
Cara Lange from Choker by Elizabeth Woods
ReplyDeleteJamie from Tighter by Adele Griffin
Josey from The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers
Leena from Frost by Marianna Baer
Yeah... I have a whole Goodreads shelf dedicated to unreliable narrators lol.
Tighter -- absolutely I completely forgot about that one!
DeleteThat was a twist I never saw coming.
I haven't read the others (though Vanishing Game is on my library wish list)
Thanks so much for stopping by and chiming in.
Great post. I am really bad at choosing my top faves for anything, so I won't try, but I really enjoyed reading your picks. :)
ReplyDeleteI am impressed with your description of Unreliable Narrator. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Thirteen Reasons Why--her perspective on the events was definitely not reliable.
You mean big fat liar, pants on fire? Yes, I am very concise. And mature.
DeleteI struggled with whether to include that book but decided that Hannah wasn't entirely reliable....
You mentioned THE SIXTH SENSE which is mine. When it's done well, then it's "WELL DONE".
ReplyDeleteOoh, I like that saying. I'm using that!
DeleteI know! I just watched that movie again with someone who'd never seen it, and the whole time I was amazed that I never saw that twist coming.
ReplyDeleteHave you read or watched Shutter Island?
Would The Catcher in the Rye -(Holden Caulfield) be considered an unreliable narrator?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. He's a great pick ;)
DeleteOoh Thirteen Reasons Why is one of the best books I have read. It is just so powerful and bold to write about such a topis as suicide. Very well done and I hope the author writes more books because this one was amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt is a really unique and powerful book. Jay Asher did publish The Future of Us this year, but it's totally different -- much less dark.
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