Definition
An unreliable narrator is a storytelling voice the reader cannot fully trust. Gaps, bias, self-deception, or deliberate omission make the account incomplete or misleading, and meaning often emerges from what is left out.
Example
A narrator who insists he never touched the money, while describing details only the thief would notice, invites the reader to question his account.
Related terms
Common mistakes
- Labeling a narrator unreliable without planting clues the reader can weigh.
- Using unreliability as a late twist instead of shaping how the story is told from the start.