Literature with changing narrators?

[PariSarah]

Can you help me think of some books that are written from several different narrators' points of view?

 

I don't mean fiction that's written with an omniscient narrator, one that can peek inside all the characters' heads. I mean literature where the story line shifts among different (limited) narrators. The only two examples I can think of are Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury and Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

[Rebecca in VA]

The Good Son, by Craig Nova. This book, written in the 1980s, tells the story of an upper-class adult son who was obediently following his father's ambitious plans for his life and then suddenly rebelled. It's very well-written and was critically acclaimed when it was published. It's back in print and available on Amazon.

[Rebecca in VA]

The different characters (Chip, his father, his mother, his fiancee, his *other* girlfriend) all narrate at different times and they all have different "voices." This is an outstanding novel. I'm about to order it off Amazon just to be able to read it again (even though I practically wore out one copy back in the '80s and still remember many passages word for word).

 

The novel is set in the Northeast, a few years after World War II.

[Jane in NC]

A book for younger readers would be Bat 6, a novel that examines the prejudice against Japanese Americans and the internment camps during WWII. As I recall, there are more than a dozen characters who tell their version of the story. When my son read this book in elementary school, he was completely confused. I had to map it out for him, as he had never encountered so many points of view!

 

Granted, this is an extreme example, but the only one my tired brain can remember at the moment. Perhaps I'll have others tomorrow!

 

Jane

[Laura K (NC)]

It's sort of an early elementary book that describes a situation from a bully's point of view. The author wrote another book, "The Dog of Barkham Street" which tells the same story from the perspective of the boy who is bullied. These are old-fashioned novels, probably written at a 3-4th grade reading level. It was cute to see the perspective of a narrator from each side of the story.

[PariSarah]

. . . so if people have more suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

[SwimmerMom]

I just finished a book that was written in 3rd person that changed point-of-view every single chapter. It was very confusing at first, but I soldiered on and really enjoyed the book. You only get "in the head" of whoever's story you are reading in that chapter, even if you've been "in the head" of someone they are interacting with previously, you don't get to see what that character is thinking. Does that make any sense? Anyhoo, the book is "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin. He's acclaimed as being "American's Tolkien". His books are definitely in the fantasy genre.

[Book Crazy]

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

 

It's split into three volumes.

 

The first it narrated by Gilbert Markham

 

The second is taken straight from a ladies diary

 

The third it narrated by Gilbert Markham

[Melissa B]

I believe Louise Erdrich writes with multiple narrators. I read Antelope Wife and I seem to remember it jumping between narrators. I had to read it for a college class and I think the professor said it was typical of her writing style.

[ncmomo3]

Sorry for the creepy contribution, but Dracula is written from about 3-maybe 4 POV's.

[Chris in VA]

Frankenstein--written from several pov's.

[Natalieclare]

I can't remember which Wilkie Collins novel...maybe even 2 of them...are written from multiple points of view. The Woman in White and the Moonstone are the two possibilities; both are great reads.

[Farmgirl70]

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver is narrated alternately by the females of the family (The mother and four girls).

[Chris in VA]

Oh, PWB is just devastating. I remember reading it on vacation--devoured it, really. I was sad over it for a week.

[cajun.classical]

Ernest Gaines A Gathering of Old Men

[PariSarah]

:grouphug:

[LoriM]

I read The Ten Year Nap recently (upon MFS's recommendation) that does a similar thing...the story swaps around from narrator to narrator, but really tells multiple stories as a result, not the "same" story from different points of view.

 

(I highly recommend TYN, whether you read for the narration-shift or not--the story really makes you think.)

[Chris in CA]

Bleak House by Dickens - Esther Summerson and narrator

[Chris in VA]

Oh, thought of another one--Beloved, by Toni Morrison.

[Cindy in Indy]

by Joanne Harris alternates two different characters doing 1st person narration. It's not too confusing, especially since the chapter headings include a black or white chess piece, depending on which narrator is speaking in that chapter. I'm about halfway through, so I can't unreservedly recommend it. One of the narrators is a classics teacher at a traditional English boys' school. He is very likeable (reminds me of the Kevin Kline character in The Emperor's Club).

 

HTH,

Cindy