Do you think a story with two different POVs is bad?

Discussion in 'Authors' Hangout' started by Orpheus, Apr 19, 2022.

  1. SeriousBrainDamage

    SeriousBrainDamage Really Really Experienced

    I wrote could.

    I just offered a possible solution to this:
     
  2. Jaegarblk

    Jaegarblk Experienced

    Perhaps helpful to note that the novel No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy switches point of view between third person and first person.

    So it is a bit jarring but you'd be in good company.
     
    SeriousBrainDamage likes this.
  3. RejectTed

    RejectTed Really Experienced

    Moby Dick does it too, but it's very sneakily done.
     
  4. Dansak

    Dansak Really Really Experienced

    There are some books that switch from 1st POV to 3rd, the main one I can think of is 'As the Crow Flies' by Jeffery Archer. He uses a set rhythm though, so the first half of each chapter is 1st POV and the second half is 3rd, and crucially, there is a change in type face that helps the reader to switch POVs without it being too jarring.

    It can be done, but I'd guess that it's very challenging, especially to keep it flowing naturally and not make the reader keep having to double-check why there has been a change in POV.
     
  5. Cuchuilain

    Cuchuilain Guest

    I dont know - I kind of like it froma readers perspective. when you try to adjust your mindset to that of each different narrator. Beryl Bainbridge does it well. Ira Levin does something like this too (in A kiss before Dying). Starts off with first person POV from the psycho-killers perspective, then later chapters are 3rd person from others view-points as they (and we) try to work out who the psycho-killer was, particularly since we were in his mind for the first few chapters.
    It engages the reader if its done right.