The 52 Book Club's 2025 Challenge - hosted by the52bookclub

Breaks the fourth wall
The fourth wall is an imaginary wall that separates the reader from the characters. We as the reader can see and understand the story, but usually characters don't know of or acknowledge the existence of a reader. When a character breaks the fourth wall, they're removing the barrier between the reader and themselves.

In literature, there are a variety of ways a book may break the fourth wall. One of the most common ways perhaps, is addressing the reader directly. (Think of the famous line from Jane Eyre: "Reader, I married him.")

Narrators may address the reader with side comments or an authorial intrusion. (For example, in The Princess Bride, the narrator uses asides marked in parentheses to comment on the story.) 

Breaking the fourth wall is also commonly used in metafiction. Metafiction intentionally references the work's fictional nature. An example of this is when the narrator or characters are aware of or acknowledge that they are fictional characters. 

While there are a variety of interpretations as to what breaking the fourth wall looks like within literature, for this prompt, we're looking for books that break the barrier between reader and character. It may be something occurring constantly within the book, or only a line or two sprinkled throughout. If you think that's happening in the story, it counts toward this prompt! 
All books added
A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

A Good Neighborhood

Therese Anne Fowler

320 pages • hardcover • 2020

fiction contemporary emotional reflective sad medium-paced
O Clube dos Anjos by Luís Fernando Veríssimo

O Clube dos Anjos

Plenos Pecados #03

Luís Fernando Veríssimo

135 pages • digital • 1998 user-added

fiction mystery dark funny mysterious fast-paced
Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

Emergency Skin

Forward Collection #3

N.K. Jemisin

34 pages • digital • 2019

fiction science fiction short stories adventurous reflective fast-paced
If It Bleeds by Stephen King

If It Bleeds

Holly Gibney #2

Stephen King

528 pages • hardcover • 2020

fiction horror mystery short stories thriller dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones's Diary

Bridget Jones #1

Helen Fielding

281 pages • paperback • 1996

fiction contemporary romance funny lighthearted medium-paced
The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

The Six Deaths of the Saint

Into Shadow #3

Alix E. Harrow

30 pages • digital • 2022

fiction fantasy short stories dark emotional fast-paced
Walden: And on the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Walden: And on the Duty of Civil Disobedience

Henry David Thoreau

12 hours, 27 minutes • audio • 1854

nonfiction classics nature philosophy inspiring reflective slow-paced
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Mindy Kaling

222 pages • hardcover • 2011

nonfiction memoir funny lighthearted fast-paced
All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert

All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation

Elizabeth Gilbert

400 pages • hardcover • 2025

nonfiction memoir philosophy self help emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat

Dark Rise

Dark Rise #1

C.S. Pacat

451 pages • digital • 2021

fiction fantasy lgbtqia+ young adult adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced