The Way They See It
July 7, 2021
One of the biggest no-nos of fiction writing, according to those who feel they are in a position to dictate rules, is changing the narrative point of view. They claim that it is hard for readers to follow what is happening, or to identify with the characters unless they see everything through the eyes of one character, particularly within one scene. Hmmm...
I recently read two books–the 2010 Costa Award-winning The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell, and the CWA Dagger Award-winning The Seeker by S. G. Maclean. Both books use multipole points of view. The former is a 'literary' novel concerning the lives of two women set in different time periods, and the latter is a 17th century detective whodunnit.
Unless a novel is going to lock itself into following only one character's exploits, it has to either change its point of view or resort to using info-dump, where one character tells another things they already know, or to telling more than showing. Both of these are also anathema to the style police. They might argue that changes in point of view should be limited to different chapters, and then only be used when two characters who carry the narrative are not in the same scene. Both O'Farrell's and Maclean's novels break these rules.
The Hand that First Held Mine flows between the points of view of an omniscient narrator, Lexi, Margot, Elinor and Ted, and the tenses are fluid too, so the reader is either drawn towards or distanced from characters and events, allowing the reader to see the main characters as others see them and directing attention to themes beyond the story.
As for The Seeker, changing the point of view to a variety of characters connected to the crime allows the reader to feel one step ahead of the detective, and to speculate on how he will find the perpetrator. It adds to the suspense.
In short stories, changing point of view can be harder to pull off, but it isn't impossible. It should be used with care, but there are many instances when it can be used to great effect. Any writer looking for a good exercise could try writing the same story from multiple viewpoints and seeing what comes out. It might be incomprehensible, or it might be the next best thing!
I recently read two books–the 2010 Costa Award-winning The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell, and the CWA Dagger Award-winning The Seeker by S. G. Maclean. Both books use multipole points of view. The former is a 'literary' novel concerning the lives of two women set in different time periods, and the latter is a 17th century detective whodunnit.
Unless a novel is going to lock itself into following only one character's exploits, it has to either change its point of view or resort to using info-dump, where one character tells another things they already know, or to telling more than showing. Both of these are also anathema to the style police. They might argue that changes in point of view should be limited to different chapters, and then only be used when two characters who carry the narrative are not in the same scene. Both O'Farrell's and Maclean's novels break these rules.
The Hand that First Held Mine flows between the points of view of an omniscient narrator, Lexi, Margot, Elinor and Ted, and the tenses are fluid too, so the reader is either drawn towards or distanced from characters and events, allowing the reader to see the main characters as others see them and directing attention to themes beyond the story.
As for The Seeker, changing the point of view to a variety of characters connected to the crime allows the reader to feel one step ahead of the detective, and to speculate on how he will find the perpetrator. It adds to the suspense.
In short stories, changing point of view can be harder to pull off, but it isn't impossible. It should be used with care, but there are many instances when it can be used to great effect. Any writer looking for a good exercise could try writing the same story from multiple viewpoints and seeing what comes out. It might be incomprehensible, or it might be the next best thing!
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Reviews
