Although I  write strictly non-fiction, the majority of what I read is fiction. Generally narrators in novels are human, and I find myself struggling at times with their believability because I spend so much time writing about what people in my life (mostly me) have thought and done.

My favorite novel of all time is Richard Adam’s classic Watership Down, about a community of anthropomorphized rabbits. I love imagining and reading about the inner workings of animals,  other non-human creatures, and even inanimate objects.

While Watership Down has an omniscient third person narrator who provides the view into the rabbits’ world there are a lot of books written from the point of view of animals, and other beings and objects. Below is a list of books narrated by non-humans, which give a different take (sometimes a creepy one!) to many situations we often read as narrated by people.

6 Fascinating Non-Human Narrators

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

Death is a fitting narrator for this young adult novel of historical fiction which is set during the Holocaust, and revolves around a young girl who steals book the Nazis want to destroy.

Delicious Foods, James Hannahaham

A woman unable to cope with her husband’s death abandons her son battles a drug addiction. This novel has multiple narrators, one of which is crack cocaine.

The Book of Chameleons – Jose Eduardo Agualusa

Narrated by a man who has been reincarnated as a gecko, this novel is a work of magical realism, translated from Portuguese, and winner of The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2007.

Tiny Deaths – Robert Shearman

A woman who has been reincarnated as an ashtray narrates a portion of this short story collection.

The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein

Our canine narrator Enzo is taking stock of his life, showing us with humor and compassion, how he came to be such a wise soul.

Holy Cow – David Duchnovny

Elsie the cow is our narrator on her journey from happy farm life to discovery of what truly happens on the farm, and her search for a better life.

Who or what is your favorite non-human narrator?! What are your thoughts on reading from such a different perspective? I really enjoy it!