Reading & Rambling discussion

Do you prefer first-person or third-person POV in books? Why or why not? If you do have a preference, does it change depending on the genre?

I personally prefer first person because I feel more connected with the character and I know exactly how they are thinking and feeling in the moment. I especially love it when a book switches POVs because then i get to see the individuality of each character on a more personal level. It doesn’t switch for the genre with me but I still love a good third person book.

I agree with M. It's easier for me to give myself away to a book in first person, to feel the emotions and really get in that characters head. I also prefer multiple perspective characters, just to add a different take in the events. Too many perspectives can be a problem too, I think. It dilutes the overall experience by giving us no anchor character or overloads us with contrasting thoughts and opinions. Third person is not my favorite, but I'm not too bothered by it most of time.

I've written a few horror short stories and have a hard time considering anything but first person. It's almost mandatory in horror haha

I don’t have a strong preference when it comes to first-person or third-person POV. I’ll read the book either way. At the end of the day, if the story is good, I’m in. However, I do agree with both of you that first-person POV can make it easier to get immersed in a story. There’s just something about being directly inside a character’s head that pulls you in faster. I have since changed but at one point in time, I never used to like reading books written in third-person POV because of this exact same reason.

Okay, here’s my newly established, beginning to feel like a cop-out answer: entirely depends. The deciding factors this time are how the characters progress the plot and interact with each other as well as the author’s voice. So, my newly established, beginning to feel like a cop-out example: Fight Club.

Without spoiling what I consider a perfect dish, if you haven’t tried it already, the story COULD NOT have been told in any other perspective than first. And if ya go back for the reread, well, the way the narrator perceives the events unfolding around him is ripe with foreshadowing. Now, Palahnuik’s writing: the bitter bloody nose, broken teeth type style is what gives the first person POV personality—you can feel how mad the narrator is. BUT the drawback is that though Palahnuik’s voice is loud and poignant, it’s one note; all of his first person perspective novels feel like they’re being told by the same person. When a different POV—one that allows more space between author and characters—is used, the writer’s voice can still be used to full effect without dictating the thoughts and actions of the actors in the story.

Comparing first person and third person perspectives: with first person there’s the fun phenomenon of the unreliable narrator, which can keep you doubting the information you are receiving and requires you to chew more thoroughly. Gotta love a book that makes you think and decide things for yourself. With third person there’s a lot more options: you could get insight into everyone’s head, or maybe only one character more than others but still see something coming that the protagonist doesn’t. I love foreshadowing, and despite my expression in the previous paragraph (Fight Club is a bit of a special case), that’s a tricky thing to do when you’re stuck in someone’s head.