Turn Up the Heat Challenge: Books with More Than One Narrator

Many authors opt for multiple viewpoints to tell their stories. Switching the narrative between characters can help build a story, giving the reader a glimpse of one character that other characters can’t see, secrets they are oblivious to. You might get a view of a character through the eyes of another character or witness events that another character doesn’t know about – a great way to add mystery and intrigue. So, this is an interesting category for a reading challenge. Here are a few examples.

In The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford, Fred takes a summer job on St Kilda in 1927 and becomes fascinated by the way of life on this remote Scottish Island. He forms a friendship with Chrissie, a local girl. Told from both points of view, the story slips forward through the years as both Fred and Chrissie lose touch, to the aftermath of WWII, when Fred endured a hellish time in a POW camp.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan follows four women during WWII who find comfort and companionship when they each compete in a BBC cookery competition. The winner gets a job as the first ever female co-host on the show The Kitchen Front, aimed to help the home cook produce healthy, tasty meals out of the limited rations available. This book works as a ‘multiple narrator’ challenge, while it’s also based on real events – a double whammy for Turn Up the Heat.

In Anna Hope’s novel Expectation, Hannah, Cate and Lissa became inseparable as young women living near a London common. Life is full of art, activism, romance and fun but ten years on, their lives haven’t turned out as they had hoped. As their relationships and careers struggle, each friend hankers after what the others have. The book asks the question, just was does it mean to live a meaningful life?

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is told in interview style from the points of view of different band members and their wider circle. It shows how the famous 1970s band became popular and then how it all turned to custard. But as you read, you discover inconsistencies, things left out or downright lies about what happened all those years ago.

The No-Show by Beth O’Leary gives you the story of three different women, each of whom are dating the same boyfriend. Things get particularly complicated on Valentine’s Day, when each woman is stood up. Each will forgive him, but suspicions remain. Or have they got him all wrong? A hilarious, modern comedy of manners.

Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell is the story of the Riordan family. When their father walks out in the heat of the 1976 London summer, their mother calls her children home – Michael whose marriage is in trouble, Monica who has her own family problems and who has fallen out with her sister, and Aoife, who has gone to live in New York harbouring what she thinks is a terrible secret. An engrossing family story as seen from the different personalities within it.

Cousins by Salley Vickers is told from the point of view of three women related to Will Tye – his sister, grandmother and aunt, and takes us from the start of WWII to present day. A story about an eccentric family, of tragedy and disquiet, resentment and morality. Crafted and very readable.

Nice Work (If You Can Get It) by Celia Imrie is a book that can also be read for the song lyrics challenge. The story takes us to Bellvue-Sur-Mer, which isn’t quite Nice, on the French Riviera and is home to retired ex-pat British characters, Theresa, Carol, William and Benjamin who decide to open a restaurant. Enter Sally, an actress who has recently given up the stage. A fun, light read with plenty of atmosphere and a bit of mystery.

More light, fun reading with The Bookshop Detectives series, written in tandem by its two authors, Gareth and Louise Ward. This series is also narrated alternately by Garth and Eloise, the ex-police owners of Sherlock Tomes. Both characters bring different talents to each investigation. The first book, Dead Girl Gone, begins with a mysterious parcel that has our sleuths following clues about a missing girl, a decades-old cold case. Ahead of The Battle of the Book Clubs, our sleuths are tracking down a poisoner who could ruin the night in the second book: Tea and Cake and Death. These books are all the more fun for offering glimpses of real Hastings locations and events.

There's still plenty of time to sign up for Turn Up the Heat, complete challenges and win prizes. You can find out more here: Turn Up the Heat 2025

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