The tenth category for the 2017 Reading Challenge—for those of you who are stretching yourselves this year—is “a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending.”
Readers, here’s what I like about these kinds of books: when the narrator can’t be trusted, or the ending is open-ended, the reader has to think for themselves to figure out the story. You have to actively engage with the text in a way that other books may not demand. You have to critically evaluate the situations in the pages to figure out what on earth is going on and draw your own conclusions, because the author doesn’t draw them for you.
More on unreliability: narrators can’t be trusted for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they’re deliberately lying, sometimes they misunderstand the situation, perhaps they’re drunk, or forgetful, or suffer from some other condition that makes us doubt their version of events. (Some say we’re all unreliable narrators, because anyone’s version of events is just one of many, but that’s not the definition we’re going with here.)
More on ambiguity: some stories don’t resolve their plots. We get to the last page without knowing definitely what happened; it’s up to the reader to fill in the blanks. Some readers relish the challenge of deciding for themselves what happened next; some close the book feeling only frustration.
Need ideas for this category? I’m sharing 15 of my favorite books with unreliable narrators and ambiguous endings below, although I’m not always telling you which is which. With some books, deciding who can and can’t be trusted, and figuring out where the story may end up, is a huge part of the fun. I won’t spoil that for you.
If you’re reading for fun this year, your assignment is to read a book recommended by someone with great taste, defined however you choose.
What are you reading for this category? What titles would you add to the list?
57 comments
Wow, such a great list. I had forgotten that Life of Pi shared this characteristic but you’re right! I loved Elizabeth Is Missing. I want to check out LIE TO ME; I keep hearing about it! (And Atonement? I know it’s so well-done, but I confess I wanted to throw it across the room at the end…) Happy reading.
I think Clare Mackintosh’s second novel “I See You” was seen better than her first. And she has a third book coming out next year…can’t wait!
Typo – was even better. Silly swype!
Unfortunately this is a category that many authors try but few do well (I’m looking at you Woman in Cabin 10 and Girl on a Train). I think some YA selections that would fit well here include Code Name Verity and We Were Liars.
I can’t remember how I came upon We Were Liars but agree with you, Susan. It’s not normally my genre but I really felt it was well done.
Those are both excellent YA options!
I would definitely add We Were Liars to this list!!
I would definitely add Catcher in the Rye to this list. Holden Caulfield is as unreliable as they come!
Great list! I fell in love with Tana French a while back when you recommended The Likeness, and I just finished listening to In the Woods! For the life of me, I can’t remember the supernatural disturbance, though! Help!
This review might help with that. It’s not my review.
https://wanderlustywriter.com/2014/07/02/in-the-woods/
Suzanne Rindell’s The Other Typist fits this category perfectly (also not telling which though), and is one of my favorite books to recommend to friends. I wish I could remember how I discovered this book (maybe just plucked it off a library shelf?), but I had no idea what I was getting into when I started it. SO GOOD.
Yup, I was just about to add that one. One of the best and most effective in this genre. I have thought of it many times long after reading it.
I loved The Other Typist. It definitely leaves you wondering what really happened. I love these types of books.
I would add ‘Based on a True Story’ by Delphine De Vigan, it had me wondering for ages afterwards. I would love to hear other readers thoughts on their version of what happened.
I love this list, Anne. In the Woods sold me on Tana French and Atonement is pure perfection in my opinion (although I can see how it would frustrate readers, Heather).
I recently read The Sense of an Ending with my book club, a great choice for this category. We loved it.
I agree! The Sense of an Ending would be a perfect addition to this list.
I think you’d enjoy “The Dinner” by Herman Koch. The appetizer course is light, but there are secrets under the table (so to speak).
What a great novel!
How…creepy? icky?…is Lolita? I know you’re a sensitive reader so I trust your take on it. I feel like I should read it, but I’m definitely conflicted. The only thing I know about it is that the girl is alarmingly young. Thanks for any input!
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie is a classic in this category!
Ha! Yes, it is!
Yes it immediately popped into my mind when I read what this post was about!
I would add a few to your list: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and pretty much anything by Kazuo Ishiguro, but especially Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans. Frankly, those novels are on my short list of favorite reads ever, so I must really love this category!
Another one I loved that fits this category is “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane, so good! I always loved that Shirley Jackson book. Such a quick read with a lot packed in.
I immediately thought of Shutter Island, too! Vivid memories of sitting up late in the window seat of my Seattle hotel, racing through that one.
The first book with an ambiguous ending I remember reading is The Giver, and it was delicious to me! It was pure poetry. I later recommended it to my fledgling book club and it immediately solidified us into a group that can disagree passionately about books and have a marvelous time doing it.
Read Gathering Blue and The Giver with class and students practically scream at not knowing for sure what happens. Love these stories.
Great list! I look forward to reading some of these 🙂
I would add Etta and Otto and Russell and James to the list. This was a book that made me want to read more ambiguous ending/unreliable narrator books.
Any of these appropriate for young adults under 15?
I love Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer for this category. It’s technically science fiction, but is set in the panhandle of Florida in the very near future. It reads like literary fiction. It’s amazing and creepy and has the best unreliable narrator I’ve read.
I would highly recommend “Moriarty” by Anthony Horowitz. Whether you’re a Sherlock fan or not, it’s a thrilling read!
What a great list of books! There are a ton I haven’t read that sound super interesting, so I’ll have to go check those out ASAP.
My own suggestions to add to the list:
– The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (though the unresolved ending probably INFURIATED most readers, I personally loved the cliffhanger and thought the ending was brilliant!)
– The Silver Linings Playbook (Even though it’s been several years since I read this, I still remember feeling like I didn’t know if I could trust the narrator’s judgment or not (and leaned toward “not,” but that was all part of the fun. I breezed through this one!)
I would add Toni Morrison’s Jazz, and although not a novel, Morrison’s short story “Recitatif.”
And for sure, for this category, My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier! It was a great selection for our Book Club read!
I second My Cousin Rachel – it’s more mature than Rebecca (though Rebecca is my favorite du Maurier), and the narrator is even more unreliable – there are sections where every chapter has you flipping back and forth over what is really going on.
I would add Handmaid’s Tale – which makes the show so fascinating as we’re now getting a broader picture of what is going on in Gilead than just what Offred experiences.
I think Girl through Glass would also be unreliable narrator, though also an unresolved ending that doesn’t sit well with me. All the Birds in the Sky (struggled through that one). Jane Austen Project. Versions of Us (in a sense, with 3 different stories and no one “right” ending).
Great list! I’d add:
Villette – Charlotte Brontë
We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
My Cousin Rachel – also by Daphne du Maurier (such an underrated author)
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Ok! I was thinking of Atonement and We Have Always Lived in the Castle! Both are huanting. But what about Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. That was a fun book that also got me thinking and that had a very unreliable narrator…
Would you say that”Young Jane Young” is this type of book?
If you like books with unreliable narrators, you should definitely check out ‘We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. It’s so carefully crafted and you don’t even realise until the end! I just wrote a review of it on my blog, and it definitely would fit in here!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time was my first experience with the unreliable narrator device (introduced via my high school English class) and it’s always stuck with me!
When I saw the title of this list, the first thing I thought was We Have Always Lived in the Castle. It’s super creepy! I love books with unreliable narrators. It keeps you guessing!
Great list! I would also add “Drood” to the list (by Dan Simmons) – it’s a slightly creepy (but not scary) story largely about Charles Dickens and narrated by Wilkie Collins, who is definitely an unreliable narrator.
So many mixed emotions about this list! I love a good mystery, but HATE not getting answers. Only book I’ve read here is In The Woods and do not like it at all. However, some of that was because I really did not like one of the main characters. But I’ve seen the movie Life of Pi and loved that. Does that count?
Thank you for giving little warnings for fellow HSP. I only recently figured this out about myself after reliving a stabbing scene from an audio book in my mind over & over & over and being quite miserable. Being aware of triggers helps a ton, and the heads up you give are very helpful!!
I read through your description of these books and immediately knew these books would not be for me. But I glanced through the list anyway, maybe to see what not to read. Sure enough there are 4 I did not like and one that I thought was okay. I love the way you can categorize books thus way. It was immediately clear why I didn’t care for these books.
Wow – it’s been awhile since I read Gatsby or Secret History…didn’t remember that both narrators were unreliable! Time for some re-reads!
And – Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker is another great thriller with an unreliable narrator.
We just recorded am episode talking about We Have Always Lived in The Castle. I speculated whether Merricat is one of the original unreliable narrators!
Love this list, Anne! Unreliable narrators are one of my favourite literary devices as a reader. I just love the ambiguity. I’d add A Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes to this list and also The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin. Two slim novels with ambiguity pouring off every page.
The book I read in this category was “Operation Shylock” by Philip Roth.
I hadn’t thought about “Rebecca” in this sense, but it does fit. I am fascinated and annoyed by this genre!
I Let You Go is definitely one of my favourites. I’m pretty sure I’ve recommended it to everyone!
For this category, I read Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz. The narrator in this YA novel struggles with a mental illness. It came highly recommended by the teen librarian at my local library. I really enjoyed it!
I love JT Ellison so I’ll definitely be adding Lie to Me to my TBR list! Thanks for the great recommendations as always!
I read Daphne du Maurier’s “My Cousin Rachel,” and weeks later I’m still puzzling over the ending. Excellent reading.
Love this list. I’d add The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips.
I would add Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, a very ambiguous journey into the heart of Congo and the heart of humanity.
None of this is true by Lisa Jewell for sure!!!