Richard vs Nick: Character Combat

VS

I really enjoy writing book reviews and other such bookish posts but I thought that I would give something a bit different a go. The premise is really to just put up two of my favourite or not so favourite characters to fight it out for the top spot. This week I am looking at narrators...

Two of my all time favourite books are The Secret History and The Great Gatsby, narrated by Richard and Nick respectively. Recently I was giving it a think about why those two books struck a chord with me and although the story's are seemingly very different the narrators of the stories are alarmingly similar and there are also many themes that the books share. There are themes of obsession, belonging and excess among other things. One story is told with the help of 1920s New York, jazz music, flapper girls and lots and lots of *illegal* alcohol. The other is set in Vermont but looks back to Ancient Greece and its mythology for inspiration. They couldn't be any more different in their premise, but they are surprisingly similar.

First of all we have Richard, a newbie to a college, desperate to fit in with an 'elite' group who hold a mystery, he is infatuated by them and desperate to be allowed into their aloof, faraway world. On the other hand we have Nick who arrives in West Egg to be faced with the mysterious "Gatsby", he becomes obsessed, desperate to be accepted into this new and exciting world. What both stories hold is a secret, or in some cases, a not so secret secret. 

First person narrative! Oh how I love a bit of first person narrative. In these two books it creates a sense of belonging, as though you too are a part of the story. The narrators allow you to see the story in a very personal manner, through their own eyes. Although first person narratives can be amazing, it gives a very personal insight on events, it is also extremely limiting. As the reader we can only ever know as much as our narrator does and our views are hugely altered by the views of the narrator. Nick and Richard are both guilty of this, narrative gaps are common in both The Great Gatsby and The Secret History. The most interesting part is that as a reader I found myself justifying the somewhat lack of facts and I somehow found myself agreeing with their choices regardless of how suspect they were.

When I finished The Secret History I found myself unaffected by the events that had taken place. Events that in reality I should have found horrific, but because I had seen them through Richards eyes, I was somewhat oblivious to the reality of the situation. It was actually the first book that really made me sit back and think how much of an effect the narrator had on my reading and understanding of the book. Nick on the other hand is a much more annoying narrator, whilst I somehow justified Richards narrative gaps, I found Nicks to be irritating. Whilst I found myself becoming engrossed in Richards world, I found myself yearning to see more of Gatsby's when Nick was the narrator.

So, who is my favourite? This is a bit of a Sophie's choice scenario, these two books are in a constant fight for the top spot on my list of all time favourite books and I struggle to choose between them. But if I was really pushed to make a decision, I would have to go with Richard. It was his ability to immerse me in a story to the extent that I stopped questioning what he said. Any moral views I had went right out of the window and I found myself nodding along as he revealed the story. Donna Tartt has a way with words that I think is hard to match and she certainly weaved her magic in The Secret History.  

'I was within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life'
-F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

'I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell'
-Donna Tartt, The Secret History

Let me know in the comments who is your all time favourite character!

Eilidh 

An Ode to First Person Narrative

It's weird, but until recently I absolutely detested first person narrative. I hated that you were confined to one set of eyes, I mean how could I possibly know the whole story if it was only being told through one person. But, but, recently I have read a number of books that have successfully and whole heartedly changed my opinion.

The Great Gatsby



Nick is annoying narrator, there are no two ways about it, but there is something about his way of telling the story that makes me believe that the book would be nothing without him. The way in which he idolises Gatsby is perfect and I like how as the reader you almost don't question the way he embellishes the narrative and blatantly leaves out key information. If anything, it just adds charm to the story. Whilst reading it I would sometimes wish for Gatsbys side of the story but I can now look back and understand that mystery surrounded Gatsby and that mystery could only be obtained by giving the job of narrator to Nick.

The Secret History



Here we have one of my all time favourite books, a tale of classics students narrated by Richard. I would put Richard in the same box as Nick (Gatsby) in that he embellishes the story line, idolises the characters and leaves out key information. There were points where I was frustrated that I could only know what Richard knew and at times it had annoyed me that I was kept in the dark as to what the other characters were doing. But by living the story through Richard I began to understand the way in which an individual can be both included and excluded from key events. This book used first person narrative to perfection, Donna Tartt used it to manipulate the reader, ultimately the book dealt with some horrific events, but due to Richards idolisation of some of the characters and his decision to bypass the horrendous nature of some of the events, I finished the book almost believing that the characters actions were justified. I actually had to sit myself down and look past the rosy tint that Richard put upon the story.

Paige Toon



I am a recent fan of Paige Toons books and I think she uses first person narrative brilliantly. I felt that it allowed me to connect with the main character and really understand their actions and feelings. It also gave the opportunity for information to be revealed as and when the main character wished it to be.

So, finally I understand the appeal of first person narrative, I am beginning to enjoy how you are somewhat blind to half the story, I like how I can almost become the character. First person narrative allows the reader to immerse themselves in the story in a way that would otherwise be impossible. At times it is exhausting, when they cry, I cry, when they laugh, I laugh but it allows the reader to commit to the story and enjoy it as an experience rather than just words on a page. It's fair to say that it can often be an emotional roller coaster, but its a roller coaster I am glad I got on.

Eilidh

The Secret History: Donna Tartt

Have you ever been in a situation where someone tells you that you will love a certain book so much that it actually puts you off picking it up? Well that happened to me with The Secret History, I was told left right and centre that it was the book for me- it revolves around the lives of a group of classics students, and as a classics student, it seemed like too obvious a choice to read. Anyway, I eventually put my pride aside and around Christmas time I picked it up and I haven't looked back since!

I would describe The Secret History as a kind of murder mystery book, I say 'kind of' because to me it isn't your typical murder mystery or at least it was nothing like any of the crime/murder mystery books that I had ever read. The book is narrated by a boy named Richard who has gone to university and finds himself joining the classics department, a department made up of a group of secretive oddballs. It is important to be aware that Richard is narrating as I found that some of the horrific 'things' that occurred were almost muted by his narrative. I found that I got a bit caught up in the goings on and when I finished and really looked back on what had happened, it shocked me that what had happened hadn't shocked me (you will have to read it if you want to find out what these 'things' are!). Oh the wonders of a first person narrative! It almost reminds me of the Great Gatsby where Nick leaves out information and is able to almost control the reader and what the reader thinks simply by what he chose to write and how he chose to present the facts.

There were many interesting characters to move the plot along: Henry the silent intellect (possibly my favourite of the characters), Francis, Bunny and of course the twins Charles and Camilla (yes, really!) and of course their lecturer Julian. I felt as though they each offered something different and valuable to the story, and they each had very different personalities. Of course, as a classics student I definitely appreciated all the references to the the classical world- Greek tragedy etc, but Tartt wrote about it in such a way that it is very accessible so it doesn't require any previous knowledge.

My only complaint is that the book is dominated by male characters, there is of course Camilla but I don't believe she was a particularly strong female character and was often just the other half to Charles or the object of Richards desires. I'm not sure if that was Tartt's intention and she was trying to make a point that I missed but personally I would have liked to see a stronger female character.

So, is it worth reading, I hear you ask? DEFINITELY! If I was to recommend one book to read, it would be this one. I often find it hard to define my top ten favourite books as there are just so many contenders, but this one is without a doubt up there!

The Secret History also featured in my post about books that have shaped my life  and I am currently reading her second book Little Friend and I can't wait to start Goldfinch which has been dominating the book charts since it was released!

Eilidh

Books that have shaped my life

I wouldn't say that these books have changed my life, but they have most certainly shaped it, together they have made me the person I am today and they are books that I will never forget.

The Secret History: Donna Tartt x

I finally read this last summer after years of being told that it was right up my street! The story focuses on a group of Classics students who immerse themselves in the subject a bit too much. It is a bit of a murder mystery, but not in the conventional sense. The way it is written is amazing and Tartt somehow manages to lull you into believing that what this group of Classics students is doing is actually perfectly okay. 

One Day: David Nicholls x

So this was a very hyped book due to its incredible success and then the film that followed. It is a love story but not in a really soppy way, I read it before the film came out so I fell in love with it before the film (and Anne Hathaway's sketchy accent) could influence me. In regard to the film, I actually really liked it, although I would say that the book is definitely better! This book had me laughing and crying in equal measures and to me that is a sign of a good book. 

Wild Swans: Jung Chang x

Wow well this book is really thought provoking and inspiring. I read it when I was 10, probably long before I should have read it, but I was going through an Oriental phase, I had just read the Chinese Cinderella books and I found this lying around my Grandmas house. It is biographical and follows the lives of women from three generations of a family, it covers concubines and communism and it will most certainly get you thinking! 

Elsewhere: Gabrielle Zevin x 

If you follow my blog you will have seen this pop up in a previous post which you can find here, I won't go into too much detail, but it gives a really interesting spin on afterlife. Also, although it is aimed at teens, it is a book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to adults.

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini x

I was torn between putting this one or Hosseini's latest offering, And the Mountains Echoed which I would actually go as far as saying I preferred. Both are amazing books that cover really topical issues such as the treatment of women in Afghanistan. His books are upsetting and thought provoking, they will make you cry but they will also make you think. The reason I chose A Thousand Splendid Suns is because I read it when I was 14/15 and it had stuck in my mind ever since, it is the sort of book that never leaves you. 

Noughts & Crosses: Malorie Blackman x

Again, this is a book that I read quite a while ago, maybe when I was 12 or 13 and it is the sort of book that never leaves you. It deals with racism, violence and romance among many other issues, but it does it in a book that can be read by teenagers. 

I would love to know if you have read any of these books or if there is a book that you believe has shaped your life! 

Love

Eilidh 

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