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The Lying Liars And Their Stories
Having grown up on Nancy Drew and The Babysitters Club, for the most part I was always willing to take the narrator at their word- that they were being truthful to me (as an observer outside their world.)
The more current thrillers that I read, the more that I see these types of narration being played out (not just modern, see Agatha Christie!) and I really enjoy it.
It adds that extra mystery element where you’re not only wondering who-dunnit, but also, what am I missing? This idea that just maybe- the people we read about can be flawed- and not just flawed, but vengeful and secretive.
WHO is the Bad Guy?
I was shocked the first time I realized I was being kept in the dark by the main character, but now I trust no one when I start a new fiction book- even outside of my favorite genre.
An excellent example of this is in a previous rec I gave in “5 Books to beat the Sunday Scaries“.
(Specifically The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware.)
Book Recommendations
(If You Can Trust Me!)
This may be a listicle, but I do want to keep you guessing… I’m going to give you 5 books where you may or may not be getting the whole story as they know it from the narrator. I’m not going to tell you which ones are which!
By Alex Michaelides
Psychotherapist Theo Faber is eager to help his notorious patient who shot her husband in cold blood and hasn’t spoken since. If only she would talk…
By Gillian Flynn
Reporter Camille returns home to cover the disappearance and murder of two hometown girls. Returning means reconnecting with her mother and half-sister, as well as reconciling with her own childhood memories and fears.
By Lucy Foley
An exclusive wedding on a wild, untamed island in Ireland- I’d read it for the scenery alone. But each of these wedding guests bring their own baggage and delight in the perusal of others’. Check out her next one, “The Hunting Party” if you liked this one!
By Tarryn Fisher
Thursday shares her husband with two other women who she’s never met and spares no thought for. They become more real to her when she finds clues of their lives with her husband- and she becomes obsessed with meeting them in the flesh.
By Lisa Jewell
Libby Jones doesn’t know who she is or where she came from. After her 25th birthday, she inherits her birth family’s house in London and begins ransacking it for clues to her previous life.
Ugh, Why Can't I Tell You Which is Which?
What fun would that be?
Don’t worry though, you will enjoy reading all of them!
Get to reading!
Cheers!
-Jane
Haha! I love how you recced these!
I remember how intensely my mind was blown when I read *that* Agatha Christie one. I tend to read books with reliable narrators mostly, especially this year when I’m leaning mostly toward comfort reads and safety
Yes!! I felt the same way!
I definitely have to be in the “right” frame of mind before I start any of these books.