Who is this person telling the story?
And do I trust them?
Any time I begin reading a new book there’s a period of adjustment when I struggle to feel comfortable with the narrator’s voice, and to trust that I’m in good hands. It’s almost like making a new friend. You kind of wonder if and when you want to see them again.
Occasionally I find myself caught in an internal fight not to put the book down. I usually stick with the book anyway, and before too long, the narrator and I are hand-in-hand. If it doesn’t happen by the third chapter, I set it aside.
There’s only been a few books when I felt engaged right from the opening pages. Most of Anne Tyler’s books hook me right away. Dorothy Alison’s Bastard Out of Carolina immediately captivated me in the first three pages with an engaging narrator.
Slow starts
One of my all-time favorite books, Gilead by Marilyn Robinson, was an initial turn off. I read the first two chapters, found the narration cumbersome, and set the book aside. However, Robinson uses a rhetorical device, second-person address that I wanted to try in my own writing. So I forced myself to to start over and continue reading. Gilead ended up being my favorite book.
Recently I’ve read a handful of books where the narrator does something or behaves in a way that seems so improbable that I lose trust and have to set the book aside. Honestly I hate when that happens.
This feeling, that behaviors are somehow inexplicable, is different from an unreliable narrator, whose point of view we know we cannot trust because they have a flawed relationship to reality.
How long does it take you?
Do you ever find yourself struggling with the narration in a new book? How much do you give a narrator before you stop reading?
BTW, On October 19th, I’ll be presenting at the Rochester Writers Conference: Master Point-of-View for Your Story! Choosing the right POV can make or break your story. Let award-winning author Linda K. Sienkiewicz help you discover which POV will best connect with readers and make your narrative shine. This hands-on session is perfect for fiction writers!
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Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist
In the Context of Love | Gordy and the Ghost Crab | Sleepwalker
New novel for fall 2026 Love and Other Incurable Ailments, from Regal House Publishing
Connect with Linda on social media: LinkTree
You make an interesting point. On the rare occasion I set a book aside, it’s usually because the story arc doesn’t interest me, not the character. Or maybe it’s the flip side of the coin: in a book where the story doesn’t interest me, often the main character also isn’t compelling enough to keep me going?
That could very well be. For me, it usually comes down to the narrator, which is typically your main character.