hi yall! can anyone suggest some fiction books to me in which the POV shifts from third to first person, or where the narrator breaks though in certain points?
the only book off the top of my head that does this is “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” but I would love to hear about more that use this device.
by wowzaalrighty
15 Comments
I’m currently reading The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki that does this. There is a main 3rd person narrative, but with interjections from the main character and from the book itself as an entity. I really like the construction.
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. Super fun mystery/thriller.
If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino, but it’s a bit different to what you described as it’s constantly switching between two perspectives, every other chapter is in the second person.
Can’t remember if it totally breaks the 4th wall, but House of Leaves was a pretty fun read when I read it 15 or so years ago. If it doesn’t explicitly break the 4th wall, it at least peers around it and winks at you 😉
It definitely shifts perspective though.
Happiness Falls does this I believe.
Too Like The Lightning. the narrator frequently addresses the reader and the reader even interrupts the narrator
Daisy Jones and the Six reads very much like a “Behind the Music” documentary until the climax, then it all changes. Pretty trippy experience and nicely done by the author.
In the vague direction of what you’re looking for, I would highly recommend The Manual of Detection by Jedidiah Berry. Trippy fun perspective changing madness.
The third book of the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer also plays a lot with perspective, being both in the character’s head and not. #1 is Annihilation which got that decent movie made of it, then Authority #2 and Acceptance #3. Definitely read in order but Acceptance has the most trippy perspective stuff. Although the ending of Annihilation is very meta psychological too! Highly recommend all around.
Oh, if looking for perspective shifts but also funny actiony plot, you could try The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu. Subterfuge alien invasion, main character has been taken over sort of by one of the “good guy” aliens, lots of training montage and back and forth between them perspective shifts.
I also shouldn’t leave this thread without recommending the Welcome to Nightvale novels (not the print versions of the audio transcripts, the set of actual novels set in the world). My favorites were It Devours, The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in your Home, and Alice Isn’t Dead. All by Joseph Fink and some with Jeffrey Cranor
Slaughterhouse Five does this a little bit. Like there’s a few moments where the main character will overhear someone say something and Vonnegut will just be like “It was me who said that, btw.” It only happens a few times but I thought it was really interesting.
The book thief by Markus Zusak. The narrator (who is not a protagonist) speaks directly with the reader
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. At some points the book itself speaks to you.
A Deadly Education and the other books in the Scholomance series directly address the reader a fair bit.
El aleph de borges. Just one tiny phrase is enough.
the Princess Bride, S Morganstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman.
or for a more classic take try The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman by Laurence Sternes
Tom Jones a Foundling by Henry Fielding.