We know that reader empathy is vital for maximizing their engagement and helping them identify with the protagonist, but what if that character turns out to be an unreliable narrator?
These characters can be tricky because if you don’t set them up properly, they won’t be sympathetic. And their lives typically spiral into confusion and chaos—a path many readers won’t want to follow unless they’re seriously invested.
First person can absolutely work for this kind of character, but only if their unraveling is gradual, believable, and intentional, and you build empathy before they start coming apart. The key is controlled escalation: hinting early at the narrator’s weakened foundation, then widening the cracks until readers can’t ignore them. Here are some tips for how to do that.
1. Establish a Baseline
At the beginning of the story, give readers firm footing. Show how “normal” the character is through the way they think, how they interpret their surroundings, how they relate to other people. Establish their voice, worldview, and internal logic. As with any character, this sets a baseline so readers know what to expect.
2. Add Some Subtle Unreliable Traits
Part of that baseline should include traits or quirks that allow for minor distortions of the truth. Maybe your narrator…
- Embellishes stories to make them more interesting
- Tells white lies to keep from getting into trouble or alienating people
- Remembers events slightly differently than other people
- Justifies their questionable choices
A character who flirts with dishonesty, irresponsibility, or flakiness can fudge the truth or remember things wrong without flagging the reader’s concern. It’s just a harmless quirk or flaw, no big deal. So give your character some flaws or behavior patterns that could hint at a bigger problem but won’t immediately signal danger—habits readers can gloss over or dismiss.
Bonus Tip: Balance undesirable traits with ones that make the character relatable, likable, or admirable, and readers will be more willing to overlook the bad in favor of the good.
3. Introduce Small, Dismissible Inconsistencies
Once readers are comfortable, begin introducing details that don’t quite add up. Keep them small at first:
- A memory that conflicts slightly with someone else’s account
- Insisting they haven’t been drinking despite possible signs to the contrary
- Being caught in a white lie
To keep readers on the character’s side, provide an alternative explanation for these suspicious moments. If a neighbor contradicts the narrator’s record of events, give that character a reason to remember wrong. If a family member calls them out for lying, give the accuser a history of dishonesty or an axe to grind. When readers see other possible explanations, they can continue to side with the narrator while the seeds for doubt are being sown.
4. Show Inner Uncertainty
An unreliable character doesn’t just do things differently than others—they feel things differently. Show that struggle with their emotions.
Maybe they wrestle with paranoia or a deep-level anxiety in certain situations. Maybe they’re triggered repeatedly by the same person. Maybe they become aware that something might be wrong with them, but they refuse to accept or confront it.
Readers recognize internal confusion, self-doubt, and uncertainty, so they’re likely to remain empathetic when a character experiences them—even as the external inconsistencies pile up. But they also recognize when the narrator’s thought processes and perceptions cross the line from quirky and unconventional to unstable and concerning. And they can only chart the character’s descent into unreliability if they’re given access to their inner processes.
5. Use “Lost Time” Carefully
Memory gaps are a common device in unreliable narration. Examples include
- Conversations the narrator has no recollection of
- Blocks of time they can’t remember
- Journal entries they can’t recall writing
- Receipts for purchases they can’t account for
For this device to work, the lost time needs to feel organic, not haphazard. Random memory gaps read as convenient, but strategic and carefully planned moments will feel natural to readers. Add them gradually, starting small and growing in intensity and severity over time.
6. Let Other Characters React
At first, your narrator will seem fine to readers because they’ll only have that character’s testimony and version of events. But this changes when the stable people around the character respond to them with confusion, uncertainty, disbelief, or fear. Sprinkle those reactions in, and over time, readers will see that if the people closest to the narrator are questioning them, maybe they should be, too.
7. Revisit a Key Event—with Variations
An effective device for this kind of story is for the character to remember a certain event repeatedly, but each time, it’s a little different. Small details change. New information contradicts earlier versions. The character’s emotions around the event shift. These inconsistencies heighten tension as readers compare the conflicting versions. They’re no longer passive observers; they’re investigators who become invested in finding the truth—even if it upends everything they’ve come to believe about the protagonist.
8. Study the Success Stories
Successful stories with unreliable narrators use a mixture of these techniques. They subtly lay the groundwork for instability, layer inconsistencies, and gradually reveal the character’s emotional instability long before the truth surfaces.
So examine books and movies that do this well. Gone Girl, Fight Club, The Girl on the Train, Shutter Island, The Sixth Sense… Handled carefully, unreliable narrators can create a truly immersive experience for readers, keeping them engaged but questioning.
What are your favorite stories featuring an unreliable narrator? What other techniques can work for these characters?
