Unreliable Narrator Books

Unreliable narrator books are told by someone whose version of events cannot be fully trusted. Whether the narrator is lying, delusional, self-serving, or simply mistaken, the reader must constantly recalibrate what is real -- making the act of reading itself a puzzle.

63 books

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers book cover

Literary Fiction

A Certain Hunger

Chelsea G. Summers, 2020

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay book cover

A Head Full of Ghosts

Paul Tremblay, 2015

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff book cover

Literary Fiction

Fates and Furies

Lauren Groff, 2015

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said book cover

Science Fiction

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart book cover

Genuine Fraud

E. Lockhart, 2017

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn book cover

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn, 2012

Holly by Stephen King book cover

Holly

Stephen King, 2023

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager book cover

Home Before Dark

Riley Sager, 2020

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski book cover

House of Leaves

Mark Z. Danielewski, 1998

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino book cover

Literary Fiction

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

Italo Calvino, 1979

In the Woods by Tana French book cover

In the Woods

Tana French, 2007

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager book cover

Lock Every Door

Riley Sager, 2020

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov book cover

Literary Fiction

Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov, 1777

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh book cover

Literary Fiction

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Ottessa Moshfegh, 2018

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell book cover

None of This Is True

Lisa Jewell, 2023

Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller book cover

Literary Fiction

Notes on a Scandal

Zoe Heller, 2003

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey book cover

Literary Fiction

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Ken Kesey, 2015

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov book cover

Literary Fiction

Pale Fire

Vladimir Nabokov, 1945

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier book cover

Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier, 1938

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney book cover

Rock Paper Scissors

Alice Feeney, 2021

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney book cover

Rock Paper Scissors

Alice Feeney, 2021

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn book cover

Sharp Objects

Gillian Flynn, 2007

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney book cover

Sometimes I Lie

Alice Feeney, 2017

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl book cover

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Marisha Pessl, 2006

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe book cover

Science Fiction

The Book of the New Sun

Gene Wolfe, 1983

The Collector by John Fowles book cover

The Collector

John Fowles, 1963

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon book cover

The Crying of Lot 49

Thomas Pynchon, 2006

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante book cover

Literary Fiction

The Days of Abandonment

Elena Ferrante, 2002

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North book cover

Science Fiction

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Claire North, 2014

The Futurological Congress by Stanisław Lem book cover

The Futurological Congress

Stanisław Lem, 1976

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins book cover

The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins, 2015

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager book cover

The House Across the Lake

Riley Sager, 2022

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden book cover

The Housemaid

Freida McFadden, 2022

The Last Days of Jack Sparks book cover

The Last Days of Jack Sparks

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward book cover

Literary Fiction

The Last House on Needless Street

Catriona Ward, 2021

The Last Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine book cover

The Last Mrs Parrish

Liv Constantine, 2017

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine book cover

The Last Mrs. Parrish

Liv Constantine, 2017

The Last Time I Lied by Todd Ritter book cover

The Last Time I Lied

Todd Ritter, 2018

The Layover book cover

Literary Fiction

The Layover

The Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman book cover

The Lesser Dead

Christopher Buehlman, 2014

The Likeness by Tana French book cover

The Likeness

Tana French, 2008

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters book cover

The Little Stranger

Sarah Waters, 2009

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters book cover

The Little Stranger

Sarah Waters, 2009

The Lost Daughter book cover

The Lost Daughter

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard book cover

The Lying Game

Sara Shepard, 2010

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss book cover

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss, 2008

The Only One Left by Riley Sager book cover

The Only One Left

Riley Sager, 2023

The Push by Ashley Audrain book cover

The Push

Ashley Audrain, 2021

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall book cover

Literary Fiction

The Raw Shark Texts

Steven Hall, 2007

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides book cover

The Silent Patient

Alex Michaelides, 2019

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware book cover

The Turn of the Key

Ruth Ware, 2019

The Twyford Code book cover

The Twyford Code

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks book cover

Literary Fiction

The Wasp Factory

Iain Banks, 1984

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks book cover

The Wife Between Us

Greer Hendricks, 2018

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware book cover

Literary Fiction

The Woman in Cabin 10

Ruth Ware, 2017

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware book cover

Literary Fiction

The Woman in Cabin 10

Ruth Ware, 2017

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn book cover

The Woman in the Window

A.J. Finn, 2018

Trust by Hernan Diaz book cover

Literary Fiction

Trust

Hernan Diaz, 2022

Verity by Colleen Hoover book cover

Verity

Colleen Hoover, 2018

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson book cover

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Shirley Jackson, 1962

We Have Always Lived in the Castle book cover

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart book cover

We Were Liars

E. Lockhart, 2014

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang book cover

Contemporary Fiction

Yellowface

R.F. Kuang, 2023