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sunnyskywalkerI read two books recently which included imposter characters, handled very differently, which made for a useful case study in How to Surprise the Reader (Or Not). There's a few ways to be an imposter. In this case, I mean that the character the protagonist(s) thought they knew is in fact someone else entirely impersonating the original.
I won't name the books or characters in hopes of keeping things relatively spoiler-free. But if anyone wants spoilery details, ask me in the comments!
In one book, the character has been mysterious from the start. What secrets is this hot yet wounded soul hiding? Why do they sometimes forget something they said only hours ago, and why are they so mercurial--almost like they have two personalities? Ah, there was a terrible incident a few years ago in which their sibling died. Their...identical twin. Also there's a locked wing of the house where their missing parent is rumored to be imprisoned. I don't think I was especially insightful to guess immediately that both twins are alive.
In the other book, by contrast, no one is focused on the character. There doesn't seem to be any mystery about them at all. Every clue to their identity does double or triple duty as explanations for other things entirely--things which seem much more important to the plot and other characters' development. Those things seem much more important than this character, and those plots seem like they don't depend on this character in any important ways. Their backstory serves to explain other characters, and why those characters are now intriguing against each other.
Crucially, this character doesn't just have an absence of apparent mystery or motives for involvement in the foregrounded mysteries. That would be suspicious. No, they have their own agenda. They could be either an ally or a threat, and our protagonist has to maneuver carefully and analyze this character for clues about which way they might jump next. We think we know why this character does what they do, and what our protagonist needs to look out for.
So I was genuinely surprised when the character was an imposter. It's a classic example of keeping a secret by not revealing that you have a secret in the first place. But at last it all falls into place! We have answers to questions we didn't even know to ask. Now we know where we stand and what previously-hidden threats our protagonist has to deal with going forward.
The explanation for the switcheroo seemed to explain everything so perfectly in hindsight that I was surprised again when the book went, but wait, there's more! It was an excellent trick. We thought we'd solved the mystery and only had to deal with the consequences. What's another trick to keeping secrets secret? Have a cover story bad enough that if someone figures out you have a secret, they'll find that one and think they know everything--while your real secret stays secret.
It was brilliantly done.
First, hide that there is a secret: we think we know everything important about this character, not because they're suspiciously uninvolved in anything, but because we think we've solved everything there is to solve about their motives and likely future actions.
Second, have other mysteries which have us asking entirely the wrong questions. Mysteries which don't seem to depend on this character.
Third, introduce a secret which explains almost everything. Make it something hard to discover and dangerous to know. Now we really think we've solved this character. And we'll be focused on worrying how the protagonist will deal with the secret in subsequent scenes, not looking for clues that actually we're still wrong.
It's a great experience to read a book which not only tricks me, but doesn't make me feel like the book cheated to do it.
I won't name the books or characters in hopes of keeping things relatively spoiler-free. But if anyone wants spoilery details, ask me in the comments!
In one book, the character has been mysterious from the start. What secrets is this hot yet wounded soul hiding? Why do they sometimes forget something they said only hours ago, and why are they so mercurial--almost like they have two personalities? Ah, there was a terrible incident a few years ago in which their sibling died. Their...identical twin. Also there's a locked wing of the house where their missing parent is rumored to be imprisoned. I don't think I was especially insightful to guess immediately that both twins are alive.
In the other book, by contrast, no one is focused on the character. There doesn't seem to be any mystery about them at all. Every clue to their identity does double or triple duty as explanations for other things entirely--things which seem much more important to the plot and other characters' development. Those things seem much more important than this character, and those plots seem like they don't depend on this character in any important ways. Their backstory serves to explain other characters, and why those characters are now intriguing against each other.
Crucially, this character doesn't just have an absence of apparent mystery or motives for involvement in the foregrounded mysteries. That would be suspicious. No, they have their own agenda. They could be either an ally or a threat, and our protagonist has to maneuver carefully and analyze this character for clues about which way they might jump next. We think we know why this character does what they do, and what our protagonist needs to look out for.
So I was genuinely surprised when the character was an imposter. It's a classic example of keeping a secret by not revealing that you have a secret in the first place. But at last it all falls into place! We have answers to questions we didn't even know to ask. Now we know where we stand and what previously-hidden threats our protagonist has to deal with going forward.
The explanation for the switcheroo seemed to explain everything so perfectly in hindsight that I was surprised again when the book went, but wait, there's more! It was an excellent trick. We thought we'd solved the mystery and only had to deal with the consequences. What's another trick to keeping secrets secret? Have a cover story bad enough that if someone figures out you have a secret, they'll find that one and think they know everything--while your real secret stays secret.
It was brilliantly done.
First, hide that there is a secret: we think we know everything important about this character, not because they're suspiciously uninvolved in anything, but because we think we've solved everything there is to solve about their motives and likely future actions.
Second, have other mysteries which have us asking entirely the wrong questions. Mysteries which don't seem to depend on this character.
Third, introduce a secret which explains almost everything. Make it something hard to discover and dangerous to know. Now we really think we've solved this character. And we'll be focused on worrying how the protagonist will deal with the secret in subsequent scenes, not looking for clues that actually we're still wrong.
It's a great experience to read a book which not only tricks me, but doesn't make me feel like the book cheated to do it.
(no subject)
Date: 2025-08-16 08:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2025-08-17 01:08 am (UTC)I also really enjoyed the book overall and am actually looking forward to Book 2. I normally lose track of all the Byzantine plots in fantasy court intrigue-type books. This one is also a murder mystery and a contest and "whoops the gods are returning and that means trouble" book and there's a good amount of character development, which seems like it ought to make it even harder to follow, but I actually didn't get too lost! Either I was in tune with what the author was doing, or she wrote especially clearly, or both.