I pointed out that it’s not that much of a new thing in
suspense/thrillers (I’ve seen the villain’s POV in first person a lot).
Romance? Maybe. But then I haven’t read a lot of first person romances because I’m
not fond of them.
I think certain genres kind of lean toward one POV over
another. I’m okay with mysteries and urban fantasies in first person (although
one POV in third would work for me, too). But I don’t expect to see another POV
in those books. And while seeing first person POV for a villain in a thriller
is a little jarring, I get it. Sometimes. But for romance? I like it in third
for ALL the characters.
A romance in first person doesn’t to it for me. This romance
reader WANTS to know what both characters are thinking/doing. That’s the fun
part of it for me—the knowing and wondering when the other character will get a
clue. But to put one character in first person and the other in third? That
just distances me from the other characters. Why do it? Is this a writer thing
or a reader thing? Frankly, I think it’s a writer thing (the writer likes
writing in first person, but wants the other POV shown and can’t imagine
writing a different first person voice for the man).
And don’t even get me started on both characters written in
first person with alternating chapters. I enjoyed one book like that. The
others were just too darn confusing. I couldn’t remember which “I” I was
reading about without going back to the beginning of the chapter! I avoid those
books now.
So… Does having both first and third person POV characters
in a book bother you? What about alternating first person points of view? Or
would the genre make a difference? If so, which ones?
Happy Friday!
Stacy
