Like, books where the narrator is talking from the future about memories of their past, sometimes speaking directly to the reader like in a conversation or commenting on how they feel about a certain memory in hindsight. The only other books I can think of right now that are like this are To Kill a Mockingbird, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Catcher in the Rye.
Also, is there a name for this narrative technique? I don’t know what to search for because I not sure how to describe it. I know that past tense first person pov is a given, but not all first person narratives are told this way.
Thank you!
by ViCiOU5CiRC3
9 Comments
Bastard out of Carolina
I don’t know what the technique is called, but these are the books I’ve read that I think you might like.
**Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro**
(Main character recollects childhood at a hostel. The book happens in both past and present. Wasn’t my cup of tea but many people have been moved by and speak highly of this book.)
**The Ocean at The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman**
(Grown up main character recollects his childhood in a new home. Has fantasy elements. Loved it)
**Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes**
(This one isn’t told in first person. It’s written in the form of a daily journal during a period of significant change in the main character’s life. I read the first page and it hooked me in.)
This Is Happiness by Niall Williams , just finished it an hour ago and I consider it one of my all time favorites now.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has a lot of this.
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
I believe this is called a Frame Narrative or Framed Narrative. Where the older person is retelling their life story.
Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff Vandermeer
The Song of Achilles