Minnie's Fiction Addiction

Because messy stories are often the most honest ones

Some narrators guide you gently through a story, reliable and steady as a lighthouse beam. Others? They lie. They omit. They twist the truth, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. And honestly? We need more of them.

The unreliable narrator is one of fiction’s most fascinating tools, yet they often get boxed into psychological thrillers or labelled as “gimmicky.” That’s a shame, because when done well, they’re not just clever. They’re essential.

Here’s why I think unreliable narrators deserve more space on our shelves:

1. They Reflect the Real World

Let’s be real: no one remembers things perfectly. We all see life through our own cracked little lens. Fiction with unreliable narrators mirrors that reality. Whether they’re lying to us, lying to themselves, or just don’t have the full picture, these narrators feel human. Flawed, biased, confused, just like the rest of us.

2. They Make Reading More Fun

There’s something addictive about peeling back the layers of a story when you know something’s off. It makes you question everything. You become part of the story, watching closely, rereading passages, picking up clues. It’s not just storytelling, it’s sleuthing.

Books like The Secret History, Gone Girl, or We Have Always Lived in the Castle aren’t just good because of what happens. They’re good because of how it’s told, and what’s held back.

3. They Let Authors Take Bigger Risk

Unreliable narration opens up space for bold storytelling choices. Want to pull the rug out from under your reader? Flip the timeline? Reveal a hidden identity? A wobbly narrator gives you permission to bend the rules, and when it works, it’s unforgettable.

4. They Challenge Our Morals (In a Good Way)

You don’t have to like them. That’s the point. Unreliable narrators push us into uncomfortable places making us empathise with characters who might otherwise repel us. They force us to sit with ambiguity, to ask uncomfortable questions. And honestly, I love a book that doesn’t let me off the hook.,

5. Because “Truth” Isn’t Always the Most Interesting Thing

Sometimes the most powerful part of a story isn’t what actually happened, but how someone believes it happened. That space between reality and perception? That’s where fiction gets juicy.

Final Thoughts

Give me the messy ones. The liars, the dreamers, the deluded narrators who can’t quite face themselves. The ones who make me reread chapters and question everything I thought I knew.

We don’t need every book to be neat and trustworthy. Sometimes, the best stories are the ones told through cracked mirrors.