Squirrely first-person narratives?
October 31, 2005 10:00 AM Subscribe
I really like novels written in a squirrely first person voice such as Vernon God Little, Jernigan, and even Poe's Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. Any recommendations?
John Barth's first Novel The Floating Opera is quite an amusing first person tale.
The Virgin Suicides is a terriffic book and notable in that it is written in first person plural.
Also, The Brothers K is highly enjoyable.
But I'm more interested in the fact that you actually liked Vernon God Little. I found it to be a tone-deaf, smug, failed satire that was almost unbearable and I know I wasn't alone in that opinion... Ah well, for what it's worth, Jernigan is a great book so you do have taste.
posted by Heminator at 10:34 AM on October 31, 2005
The Virgin Suicides is a terriffic book and notable in that it is written in first person plural.
Also, The Brothers K is highly enjoyable.
But I'm more interested in the fact that you actually liked Vernon God Little. I found it to be a tone-deaf, smug, failed satire that was almost unbearable and I know I wasn't alone in that opinion... Ah well, for what it's worth, Jernigan is a great book so you do have taste.
posted by Heminator at 10:34 AM on October 31, 2005
The Remains of the Day is a wonderfully entertaining example of an unreliable first-person narrator... not sure how "squirrely" you might judge him.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:36 AM on October 31, 2005
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:36 AM on October 31, 2005
t r pearson's off for the sweet hereafter, a short history of a small place, and the last of how it was are all first person, very squirrely, and very funny
posted by pyramid termite at 10:40 AM on October 31, 2005
posted by pyramid termite at 10:40 AM on October 31, 2005
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks is a fantastic selction from this genre.
posted by phildog at 10:40 AM on October 31, 2005
posted by phildog at 10:40 AM on October 31, 2005
Oh oh oh! And so totally Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff -- one of the best things I've read in recent years.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:42 AM on October 31, 2005
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:42 AM on October 31, 2005
seconding luriete's recomendation - read that on holiday last week. good book.
posted by andrew cooke at 10:44 AM on October 31, 2005
posted by andrew cooke at 10:44 AM on October 31, 2005
You want squirrely? Russell Hoban's Riddly Walker and Iain M Bank's Feersum Endjinn.
About half of H P Lovecraft's output is first person, and there is nothing more squirrely than H P Lovecraft.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:22 PM on October 31, 2005
About half of H P Lovecraft's output is first person, and there is nothing more squirrely than H P Lovecraft.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:22 PM on October 31, 2005
The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
posted by hootch at 1:30 PM on October 31, 2005
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
posted by hootch at 1:30 PM on October 31, 2005
Definitely check out Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. It's a cult classic. Then you can check all the fan websites for interpretation of the lingo, symbolism, historical references. It's an amazing tour-de-force.
posted by nancoix at 10:40 AM on November 1, 2005
posted by nancoix at 10:40 AM on November 1, 2005
Response by poster: Wow, looking at the first few pages of Riddley Walker reminds me entirely of the middle section from David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, almost to the T.
Interesting.
posted by xmutex at 10:53 AM on November 2, 2005
Interesting.
posted by xmutex at 10:53 AM on November 2, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by falconred at 10:11 AM on October 31, 2005