Hello everyone,
Now, you might be looking at the title of this post and wondering, what does this mean? Fictional characters, by definition, do not physically exist – but this post is not about that.
This is a list of books I have read where people in the story who are presented as characters and very much part of the ongoing plot, turn out not to have been there all along. They can be either a figment of the main character’s imagination, or a loved one who has passed away and that fact is hidden from the reader until the twist is revealed.
The fact that I am even doing this post means there are spoilers here, but I will still try to give as little specific detail away as possible. On with the list!
The Beekeeper Of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
I have only just finished reading this book and it was what gave me the idea for this post. A tragedy has befallen the narrator Nuri and on his hazardous journey to escape the civil war in Syria he adopts a coping mechanism.
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
Deep within the mountains of emails from various people we have to sift through in order to solve this addictive mystery, we later find that one of them has a mysterious alter ego.
Circle Of Doubt by Tracy Buchanan
This was a twist that I did not see coming. Emma feels threatened upon moving to a new village and her adopted daughter is dazzled by someone who Emma fears could be her birth mother. We eventually realise that she is even more alone in Forest Grove than we think.
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
This eerie book throws up all kinds of extraordinary possibilities in the very last chapter. It makes us question everything we have read before in a totally ingenious way, and the very existence of one of the main characters is thrown into serious doubt…
The Shadow Friend by Alex North
This one is kind of similar to The Beekeeper Of Aleppo, but the twist is so much more dramatic and I must say, it floored me at the time. It is another powerful example of post-trauma between separate timelines.
Let’s Chat
Have you read any of these books? Are there any books you have read where the author has fooled you into thinking a character exists when in reality they are either dead or made up? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading :)
Stephen Reads Books 
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