A post of mine just went up on Book View Cafe’s blog: When the Point of View is Not Carried by the Protagonist
This is a topic I’ve hit before, but this particular take on the topic is new, not a copy of anything I’ve posted here.
Bonus pictures of Elli, a dog I bred twelve years ago. I placed her in a pet home when she was a puppy, but I had her back for five weeks recently because her owners’ lives are complicated right now. She’s a very easy guest and a sweet dog, and I actually feel somewhat bereft because she just went back to her owners a few days ago. But I’ll get her back for a few weeks in January and February, so that’s fine.
I’ll just step up on a soapbox long enough to add: this is an illustration of one of the many reasons that, if you buy a purebred puppy, you should go to a reputable breeder rather than a backyard breeder. When your life gets complicated and you don’t have a relative able or willing to babysit your dog for a month or two at a time, who can you call? You can call the breeder.
Under some circumstances, I’d probably ask a fee for babysitting a dog. But under other circumstances, I won’t. I didn’t this time. Elli slept on my couch along with my horde. I crushed biscuits for her (she has only a few teeth left, but is otherwise in great shape, with no significant heart murmur, so that was nice to see). I took her for a walk every day, for a run when the weather was nice, to the park once, and clipped her, did her nails, and bathed her before I sent her home.
Off the soapbox now! Back to the actual topic of the post! This separation of protagonist from pov has fascinated me since I read the Lymond chronicles for the first time. Click through if you also find that technique interesting.
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Gillian Bradshaw’s Magic’s Poison is the first book that came to mind—I think I first read about it and discussed it with you here! Glad to see some commenters also mention The King of Attolia, which is really interesting in pulling the POV further and further away from the protagonist throughout the series.
Also, Elli is just darling.
Mary Beth, YES, I’m amazed at what MWT did with the point of view in that series. I should have thought of that!
and yes, isn’t she?
Off topic: i don’t know how I missed it, but Connie Willis made a Christmas collection a few years back. All her classics, like “All About Emily” and “Inn”, and “All Seated on the Ground.” Plus an intro about the art of Christmas stories that is worth reading even if you dont get the book. I think she’s at her very best at shorter stories; “Impossible Things” is probably my all-time favorite collection.
https://smile.amazon.com/Lot-Like-Christmas-Stories-ebook/dp/B01N6RFENJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?
Thanks, Pete, I definitely have liked Willis’ work a lot more in shorter works.
I have been picking and choosing stories, and came across “Newsletter.” I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Willis managed to write an “Invasion of the Bodysnatchers” Xmas story.
Plus one about an unpleasant man finding himself in Sartre’s “Huis Clos”, but with a Christmas-y theme. Plus an alien visitation meet-cute.
I love the idea of that Christmas story. Picking up the collection now!