First-Person Narration - A Good Option?

Use this forum to discuss the February 2020 Book of the month, "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign
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Howlan
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Re: First-Person Narration - A Good Option?

Post by Howlan »

danicommissions wrote: 26 Feb 2020, 16:53 First-person can help if you have characters whose actions are unsympathetic or questionable; you get to inhabit their mind and see their reasoning for doing it, while also not having their actions be strictly endorsed by the person telling the story. However, it does mean that there needs to be clear differentiation between the voices of different characters, and that's kind of an issue in this book.
yes, it could be solved by only adding a marker to indicate who is speaking chapter wise.
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Post by Howlan »

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote: 27 Feb 2020, 19:23 I actually prefer the first-person narrative because I feel like I can better relate to the characters. I agree, though, Adam's narrative is far more convincing than Carly's.
I agree Adam's narrative is really vivid.
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Post by Howlan »

Drakka Reader wrote: 27 Feb 2020, 19:46 I'm a pretty good fan of first person. The emotions usually come across better and it is easier to tell what characters are thinking if it switches between characters.
Yes but I think a chapter wise narration switch would improve the book.
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Post by Drakka Reader »

Howlan wrote: 28 Feb 2020, 10:00
Drakka Reader wrote: 27 Feb 2020, 19:46 I'm a pretty good fan of first person. The emotions usually come across better and it is easier to tell what characters are thinking if it switches between characters.
Yes but I think a chapter wise narration switch would improve the book.
I can understand that, especially if the book has plenty of things happening, a narrator can make facts about what is happening or the world more clear.
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Post by Jacktone Ogada »

I think all narrations are good but I think the book is better off with the third omniscient narrator. The first person narrator helps as view the book on a very personal perspective unlike the third where the narrator is indiscriminate
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Post by Howlan »

Drakka Reader wrote: 28 Feb 2020, 12:11
Howlan wrote: 28 Feb 2020, 10:00
Drakka Reader wrote: 27 Feb 2020, 19:46 I'm a pretty good fan of first person. The emotions usually come across better and it is easier to tell what characters are thinking if it switches between characters.
Yes but I think a chapter wise narration switch would improve the book.
I can understand that, especially if the book has plenty of things happening, a narrator can make facts about what is happening or the world more clear.
Yeah, and I would recommend if the author does that. It would make the narration very clear.
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Post by Howlan »

Jacktone Ogada wrote: 28 Feb 2020, 23:46 I think all narrations are good but I think the book is better off with the third omniscient narrator. The first person narrator helps as view the book on a very personal perspective unlike the third where the narrator is indiscriminate
Yes, third-person narration is useful in it's own way but I think first person narration suit this book well.
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Post by littlegems »

Actually this was one aspect of the book I had the most trouble with. I noticed as soon as Carly's narrative started that it was too fluid between the two. There were a few points in the story that I was momentarily confused as to whose perspective we were reading. There was even one point where, in the same paragraph, it switched and seemed like it was Mark's, Adam's, and Jo's separate perspectives in different sentences. I had to read that one a couple of times to figure out what was going on. This element made the book a little harder for me to read. I do agree with some of the other replies that first person narrative adds more understanding and development of the character narrating, due to the emotional impact, that sometimes is important to the development of the story.
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Post by Avoclaw »

I can see how alternating between first person narratives can be confusing for the reader, though as others have mentioned before me, I feel that it does allow the reader to relate to the characters more, be it through conscious or subconscious means.
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Post by a-b-c- »

No, I don't think that a third person narration would have worked better--I do agree that at the being of the book that Adam's narration was better, but in the middle I thought that Carly narration took over with it being about her and her family.
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Post by Nyambura Githui »

I think the first person narration use in the book is better. I always prefer when the author show the different perspectives of the characters in the book. It is better to relate to.
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Post by vermontelf »

This is an interesting question. I hadn't considered this.
I did enjoy Adam's more and Carly as a whole was a bit unbelievable. Due to my inability to relate to her, it might have been easier to read Carly's in 3rd person. Keeping Adam's in the first person is really rather necessary for the nuances of how his emotions and thoughts are important to the storyline.
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Post by piplup45 »

How is anyone considering this first person narration? The only uses of first person pronouns occur in dialogue. This is third person with awkward shifts into first person mid-sentence.
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Post by Van112 »

I think having the first person point of view is a great way for us readers to understand the characters better. So we can relate to them better. So I don't think a third person POV is needed.
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Post by Kansas City Teacher »

Nym182 wrote: 15 Feb 2020, 12:51
Tehreem000 wrote: 15 Feb 2020, 12:24 I'm feeling guilty replying when I haven't read the book. I just wanted to say that sometimes expression of feelings leaves more impact in first-person narration, to me at least.
I think that is a very valid point!

I agree. It's very difficult to give depths to the characters if you don't use the first person. The third person helps with books (like this one) that give historical backgrounds (like the famine).
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