52 Book Club: 2024 Reading Challenge - hosted by anamarquina

An omniscient narrator
What is an omniscient narrator? Omniscient means “all-knowing.” Omniscient narrators know what is happening at all times throughout the book. They know the thoughts, feelings, and backstories of all the characters (or a specific character or character group for limited omniscient.) Usually, omniscient narrators are written in third person (he/she/they/them) but there are a few exceptions to this. (For example, The Book Thief, which is narrated by death.)

A few tips for working out whether or not you have an omniscient narrator:

– Does the voice remain the same throughout the novel? You may explore the perspectives of multiple characters, but the narrator’s voice should use the same language and tone while exploring the story with each character.

– Whose perspectives do we see? Books with omniscient narrators often have multiple, varied perspectives. You may see the thoughts or feelings from multiple characters, even in the same scene.

– Is the narrator all-knowing? Is there anything in the book that the narrator doesn’t know? Does the narrator provide details about what’s happened in the past and what’s currently happening? Are we being told things that the characters couldn’t or wouldn’t know? For example: You may see sentences like: “Little did he know, the killer was already waiting for him…”

– Web search! When in doubt, a quick web search with the book title “+ narration style” may help clarify whether or not you have an omniscient narrator.

Examples: The Lord of the Flies, Beloved, Middlemarch, Where the Crawdads Sing, Everything I Never Told You, Dune
Goodreads List: An omniscient narrator
All books added
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

Bringing Down the Duke

A League of Extraordinary Women #1

Evie Dunmore

356 pages • digital • 2019

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Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong

Mater 2-10

Hwang Sok-yong

486 pages • paperback • 2020

fiction historical literary challenging informative reflective slow-paced
The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

The Sittaford Mystery

Agatha Christie

274 pages • paperback • 1931

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Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells

Waverley Family #1

Sarah Addison Allen

304 pages • digital • 2007

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Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

Moon of the Turning Leaves

The Whitesky Saga #2

Waubgeshig Rice

312 pages • paperback • 2023

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The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen

The End of Drum-Time

Hanna Pylväinen

368 pages • hardcover • 2023

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The Highland Girls on Guard by Helen Yendall

The Highland Girls on Guard

Highland Girls #2

Helen Yendall

403 pages • digital • 2024 user-added

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The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

96 pages • hardcover • 1952

fiction classics literary adventurous reflective slow-paced
Shift by Hugh Howey

Shift

Silo #2

Hugh Howey

570 pages • paperback • 2013

fiction dystopian science fiction dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Lonesome Dove

Lonesome Dove #3

Larry McMurtry

964 pages • digital • 1985 user-added

fiction classics historical literary adventurous emotional sad medium-paced