Friday, March 3, 2017

Five delightfully disturbing narrators

Sarah Skilton is the author of Bruised, a martial arts drama for young adults; and High and Dry, a hardboiled teen mystery. At the B&N Reads blog she tagged five "messed-up narrators of... recent novels [who] make for scandalously fascinating storytellers," including:
David Federman in Loner, by Teddy Wayne

Wayne’s Justin Bieber-inspired The Love Song of Jonny Valentine was so real it hurt. Expect to feel similarly empathetic toward Harvard freshman David Federman (rhymes with “fader,” as in, he fades into the background) despite the fact that you won’t want to; he’s stalking a female classmate. Smart and obsessive, lonely (though not socially clueless, which actually makes his experiences more painful to read about), David straddles the line between “normal” and not. It’s a testament to his precise narrative voice—filled with astute observations about millennial life—that readers will relate to his struggles despite cringing over his choices. Pair with You, by Caroline Kepnes, if you’re feeling daring.
Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue