Reliable Narrator, Defined
In fiction, it’s a narrator who relates the events of a story in an accurate and impartial manner. Someone you can trust to guide you through the story, because they’re unbiased. According to the r/books Subreddit, generations of literary scholars, and my high school junior year English teacher, this type of narrator doesn’t actually exist.
On Substack and in your inbox, it’s a newsletter about books, style, and books with style.
Okay, what is Reliable Narrator, really?
This is a weekly-ish dispatch about books, style, and books with style, from me, Halie LeSavage.
No authors (okay, few authors) let their characters spend an entire novel naked. The way characters dress on the page says so much about who they are and where their story’s headed, and not just in a Swiftian, Easter-egg way. In Reliable Narrator, I’m close reading characters’ closets from literary greats like Edith Wharton and Henry James, to contemporary blockbuster romantasies and It-lit new releases. It’s all in service of better understanding the material…and gushing about storytelling that moves me. (This might sound like a literature seminar, but I promise: It’s not going to be That Serious.) I’ll also look outside the source texts to their authors and how they dress. As a full-time editor myself, I’m fascinated by what writers wear when they’re on deadline or hitting the promotion circuit.
I read widely and enthusiastically, so you’ll see a range of genres, authors, and general vibes represented on the Reliable Narrator shelf. You may encounter some thematic shopping here and there, too.
What makes me a Reliable Narrator?
Again, this title is (to me) a joke: I’m starting this newsletter because I’m deeply passionate and extremely biased about my favorite books. But, I’d like to think I’ve built up enough expertise in fashion and literature to be trustworthy, too.
I’ve spent my entire professional life in the world of fashion and lifestyle journalism. I’m currently Marie Claire’s senior fashion news editor during my waking hours; before that, I held roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. My favorite stories have all lived where style and culture meet. I’ve spent 1,200 words in print on the rise and rise of naked dresses; I’ve interviewed Simone Biles, Hannah Einbinder, Brenda Song, and more for my red carpet column, The Close-Up. Whether I’m going long on a TikTok challenge or a $1,350 beach bag, my goal is the same: I want to understand why people wear what they wear.
That now includes fictional people, too—and I know a lot of them. When I’m not reading about fashion, I’m reading, period. I studied English Lit in college and read whatever I can get my hands on now. I’m the kind of person who physically can’t leave a bookstore without at least one new paperback in my bag. At work, I’ve turned my lifelong love of reading into profiles of writers like Jenny Han and Dolly Alderton (idols!) and coverage of big book-to-movie/prestige TV adaptations. At home, my bookshelves are two-titles deep and my nightstand is overflowing.
I’ve become the friend my friends go to for all their reading needs. Books for a delayed train on the Amtrak Northeast Regional, books for when you want to hate your job less, books after a “this is the last time!!” breakup, books for Feeling Lots of Feelings. Multi-generational family dramas; startup allegories; sci-fi glimpses at the Near Future. If I haven’t read it yet, I’m going to, and I’ll tell you all about it, including the outfits.
What’s the deal with your cover art?
Great question! I designed the Reliable Narrator logo with my favorite Mary Cassatt painting, “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair” (1878). It’s been one of my favorites ever since I saw it at the National Gallery of Art many, many years ago. The girl, supposedly a child of Cassatt’s friend, captures my general attitude when I’m reading and/or evaluating fashion, complete with a big 'ol hair bow and a dog sidekick. (I’m inseparable from mine. Her name is Dolly.)
This painting is free for fair use through the National Gallery of Art’s Open Access Policy. I highly recommend browsing their archive if you have the chance – there are thousands of special works to enjoy right from home!
Thanks for subscribing! I can’t wait to read with you.
