For Top Ten Tuesday this week, we could pick any genre and do a top ten list, so I thought I’d highlight this unusual genre (subgenre? class? category?) of fiction that I enjoy – novels written in the form of memoirs. Are these metafiction? Autofiction? Not those awful books that purport to be memoirs but turn out to be fiction, but novels that are written as memoirs, so the first-person narrator/”author” can include speculation on how well they’re remembering details of a past event, for example, or provide insights that come from reflection, etc.
I definitely don’t want the author of the novel and the character of the author in the novel to be the same person in reality. The ones I like the best, though, are the cleverest ones and hardest to write – when the “memoir” is purportedly written by the author whose name is on the cover.
On my list, only two fall into this sub-category: My Brilliant Friend (Book 1 of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet) and The Word Is Murder (Book 1 of the Hawthorne/Horowitz mysteries).
But as far as actual fiction genres go, this list has something for every taste — literary fiction, horror, fantasy, mystery, and science fiction.
Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Search by Michelle Huneven
The Humans by Matt Haig
The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
These are just the top ten that came to mind of the ones I have read. I feel sure there are more, but I guess my tags in LibraryThing aren’t as good as I thought they were because I couldn’t uncover them.
These next five are books that I liked and considered for the list, but decided that although they’re all written in the first-person, they weren’t really written in the style of memoirs. (I could be wrong, though, especially about A Boy’s Life and The Liar’s Diary because it’s been too long since I read them.)
- Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
- Elinor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- A Boy’s Life by Robert MacCammon
- Devil House by John Darnielle
- The Liar’s Diary by Patry Francis
Others that would fit the list but that I haven’t read are mentioned in these articles:
Memoir, Fiction, or Something in Between by Pip Finkmeyer
8 Novels That Blur the Line Between Memoir and Fiction by Rachel Cusk
I’m sharing this with Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. You’ll find many other Top Ten book lists there. If this “genre” of novels written as memoir doesn’t interest you, check out the other lists!
What a fun idea for a post. I don’t know that I’ve read a lot of books like this, but these ones sure do sound interesting.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
I’ve heard great things about My Brilliant Friend.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
You just reminded me I still need to read that Kingslover book. It sounds so good.
I never would have thought of Murderbot in that capacity but awesome idea!
I did not know that there was such a subgenre, but it makes sense. I have read All Systems Red and loved it. Also The Word is Murder. The Humans is on my shelves to read.
I’ve only read Fairy Tale of this list. I’d consider The Seven Husbands of evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six and Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid to be fictional memoirs as well.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2023/08/22/top-ten-tuesday-fantasy-books-i-havent-read/
Interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book in this genre. Sounds like they could be really clever and intriguing if done well.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I should have thought of Carrie Soto is Back! I listened to it on audio, and couldn’t remember if it purported to be a memoir or was just written in the first-person. Daisy Jones & the Six is written as a fictional “oral history” but I see what you mean. I still have to read The Seven Husbands!
What a fresh idea for a list! Thank you.
I like this idea a great deal. Read Fairy Tale earlier this year and I think it was too hyped by so many others. I enjoyed the first half but the second half wasn’t quite as solid.
Agreed! Could have been edited for better pacing.
I’m not familiar with this sub-genre. But I feel like I’ve come across books that fit, though I can’t think of any at the moment. LOL!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/visit-michigan-in-ten-books/
As long as it’s very clear that a ‘memoir’ is really fiction, I don’t mind but when they try to trick you into believing it – grrrrrr. That gets my goat !
Cool idea for a list! I need to check out that zombie book.