Many people believe that when reading a book written in first person narrative, it is an unreliable source. This is because it is a biased account, as the narrator will only tell his or her own side of the story. This is partly true of the novel “Enduring Love” by Ian McEwen. The narrator is Joe. Although he seems to be very controlled and sensible, it is clear from reading the first five chapters of the book, that he is not quite as controlled as first perceived. He has a very scientific brain and thinks about everything rationally but as the chapters progress, he begins to lose the clarity with which he first began. This can give the reader a feeling of uncertainty of the reliability of his narrative.
Chapter one begins with such detail that it is impossible to believe that what was being described actually took place in the past. Joe describes everything with pinpoint precision and it is hard to imagine how he managed to remember everything with such accuracy. To reinforce the events he shifts the perspective of the narrator to that of a buzzard. McEwen wants the reader to see things without Joe’s biased opinion of the events. This section is more reliable because, although it is Joe’s opinion of how the buzzard would see the event, it is detached and therefore would be believable.
It is very difficult to believe all that Joe is saying, as the reader recognises that Joe already knows the ending. He is therefore able to use his knowledge of the ending within the rest of the account in order to add tension where he requires. By knowing the ending, he can embellish parts of the story where he feels it appropriate and also where he considers it would make the account more interesting for the reader. Knowing this, it is hard for the reader to completely believe all that has been written. Joe makes many references to his link with Jed Parry before the reader fully understands the extent of the relationship. Joe describes them as “rushing towards each other like lovers,” when describing them and three other men, all running towards a hot air balloon in the middle of the field. When first reading this, one could see it merely as an elaborate sentence, which aimed to add further explanation about the way in which the men were running. However, having read further into the book and then reflecting on that specific section, it becomes clear that Joe’s intention was for that particular sentence to be pre-empting in terms of the nature of Jed and Joe’s future relationship. Joe’s attempts to mislead the reader could make reading the rest of the novel problematic in terms of resisting the temptation of pre-empting the action through analysing the cryptic underlying messages in the narration. It is only on re-reading the novel that one realises the relevance of these pre-emptive passages.
