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The Art of Deception: 10 Books with Narrators Who Can't Be Trusted
In fiction, trust is a delicate thing. Some narrators lie. Others misremember. And a few genuinely believe every word they say — even when we, as readers, know better.
These are the stories where truth is slippery, and perspective becomes part of the plot. These narrators challenge us to become active detectives, piecing together truth from fragments and omissions — an intellectual thrill unlike any other reading experience.
Each of the titles below keeps its secrets — we won't spoil the twist. Instead, we'll give you just enough to wonder: what's really going on here?
Whether psychological, literary, or quietly surreal, these ten novels feature narrators who change the story as they tell it — and invite you to read between the lines.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (2012)
“Love makes you want to be a better man. But maybe love, real love, also gives you permission to just be the man you are.”
The modern classic that reignited the unreliable narrator boom. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy Dunne disappears. Her husband, Nick, becomes the prime suspect — and nothing in this story is quite what it seems. Flynn masterfully manipulates the reader's sympathies, creating a psychological game where the ground constantly shifts beneath you.
Goodreads: 4.14 | Amazon UK: 4
Perfect for fans of: marital noir, narrative gymnastics, stories that rewrite themselves
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None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (2023)
“You don't know someone just because they've told you their story.”
A podcaster meets a mysterious woman who shares her birthday — and insists on telling her life story. But as the recordings unfold, the lines between fiction and truth begin to blur. A tightly wound, slow-creeping thriller that leaves you questioning every conversation.
Goodreads: 4.10 | Amazon UK: 4.5
Perfect for fans of: dual POV suspense, podcast-inspired plots, slow-burn tension
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And He Shall Appear by Kate van der Borgh (2024)
“We never see the truth as it is — only as we've been taught to fear it.”
A Cambridge-set literary debut that fractures memory and desire. A former student recalls an obsessive relationship with a professor — but as her memories unravel, so does the truth. Quiet, elegant, and chilling.
Goodreads: 3.47 | Amazon UK: 4.2
Perfect for fans of: The Secret History, retrospective ambiguity, memory games
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The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (2025)
“The first lie I told was for him. The last one, maybe, will be for me.”
Hired to ghostwrite her estranged father's memoir, a woman uncovers buried family secrets and learns the cost of truth. A literary mystery about legacy, storytelling, and what we choose to remember.
Releases: 5th June 2025
Perfect for fans of: family secrets, authors as unreliable subjects, emotional suspense
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The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard (2024)
“We carry memory like a mirror — cracked, refracting, never showing the whole.”
In a town where parallel timelines are real, a civil servant is offered the chance to alter fate. A quiet, literary sci-fi novel where ethical ambiguity and fractured memory combine to blur the lines of reality.
Goodreads: 3.88 | Amazon UK: 4.3
Perfect for fans of: literary sci-fi, ethical ambiguity, quiet worldbuilding
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1926)
“The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it.”
Christie’s groundbreaking twist changed the rules of the genre. What seems like a classic whodunnit becomes a metafictional masterpiece of deception — and a blueprint for unreliable narration in mystery.
Goodreads: 4.27 | Amazon UK: 4.5
Perfect for fans of: golden age mystery, tight plotting, genre-defining twists
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Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (2017)
“My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me…”
Amber is in a coma, but her mind is racing — and what she remembers doesn’t always match what’s real. A sharp, twist-laden thriller with a narrator you’ll want to believe… but shouldn’t.
Goodreads: 3.76 | Amazon UK: 4.1
Perfect for fans of: The Girl on the Train, internal monologue, plot-layered narratives
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My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (2020)
“The trouble with history is you don't know what's true.”
A powerful novel about trauma, memory, and complicity. Told from the perspective of a woman re-examining her teenage relationship with a teacher, it’s a devastating look at how our minds protect — and mislead — us.
Goodreads: 4.10 | Amazon UK: 4.3
Perfect for fans of: difficult themes, layered emotional narratives, literary trauma fiction
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Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield (2022)
“She came back wrong. Or she didn’t come back at all.”
After a mysterious deep-sea expedition, Miri’s wife is no longer the woman she knew. A lyrical and eerie meditation on grief, change, and emotional distance — told with haunting ambiguity.
Goodreads: 3.75 | Amazon UK: 3.9
Perfect for fans of: aquatic horror, queer fiction, literary weird
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A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas (2019)
“We all carry our losses differently. Some of us bury them. Some keep them alive.”
A therapist begins to unravel when a patient who reminds her of her missing son enters her care. A slow-burning story of loss, professional boundaries, and emotional distortion.
Goodreads: 3.53 | Amazon UK: 4.2
Perfect for fans of: literary suspense, maternal obsession, psychological realism
Why These Stories Stick With You
Unreliable narration isn’t just a twist — it’s a lens. These books ask you to participate, to doubt, to reconsider everything. They remind us: sometimes the most honest stories are the ones that question their own truth.
Want More Books That Challenge Perspective?
Browse the full archive of discovery-first listicles
Themes, emotions, and tone-based recommendations you won’t find anywhere else.
Read:
Which Literary Liar Has Stayed With You Longest?
Have a narrator that fooled you completely? Let us know — your rec might end up featured in our next editorial.
Until then, read wisely.
— The Page Sage
Thumnail Photo by petr sidorov on Unsplash
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