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
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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Douglas Adams

208 pages • paperback • 1979

fiction classics science fiction adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
Random in Death by J.D. Robb

Random in Death

In Death #58

J.D. Robb

368 pages • hardcover • 2024

fiction mystery medium-paced
The Little Liar by Mitch Albom

The Little Liar

Mitch Albom

333 pages • hardcover • 2023

fiction historical dark emotional sad fast-paced
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

Shehan Karunatilaka

386 pages • hardcover • 2022

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Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

Brighton Rock

Graham Greene

256 pages • paperback • 1938

fiction classics crime mystery dark mysterious tense slow-paced
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years

Shubnum Khan

10 hours, 19 minutes • audio • 2024

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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit

The Lord of the Rings #0

J.R.R. Tolkien

10 hours, 25 minutes • audio • 1937

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Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind

Unwind Dystology #1

Neal Shusterman

335 pages • hardcover • 2007

fiction dystopian science fiction young adult adventurous dark tense fast-paced
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

House of Flame and Shadow

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Sarah J. Maas

951 pages • digital • 2024 user-added

fiction fantasy romance adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune

Dune #1

Frank Herbert

658 pages • hardcover • 1965

fiction classics science fiction adventurous challenging slow-paced