When reading a book, we tend to follow the journey and exploits of one protagonist.
But what if there were two? Or three? Or ten?!
Today is a showcase of amazing books that have multiple perspectives.
Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum (2024)
A year after publishing her first book and national bestseller Bad Summer People, Emma Rosenblum is back with a story that looks at both the light and dark sides of corporate culture in the tech industry. Every year, the top executives at tech startup Aurora travel to Miami for an exclusive retreat full of team building exercises and presentations. Caitlin Levy, a new hire, is excited to be part of the team, especially since it comes with amazing benefits like a seven-figure salary and stock shares. However, when one of the execs goes missing after the first night, everyone scrambles to find them while keeping the disappearance a secret from the media to prevent the company’s sell to an even bigger tech giant from being compromised. With millions of dollars on the line, Caitlin, the eccentric CEO and the rest of Aurora’s colorful cast of characters must do whatever they can to succeed, no matter the cost.
You Are Here by Karin Lin-Greenberg (2023)
In a small suburban town, there is a local shopping mall that has seen better days. With business slowing down and stores closing, it’s only a matter of time before the people working there become jobless; people like the hair stylist who dreams of being an artist while caring for her young son who wants to be a magician. There’s also a high school cashier who aspires to be an actress, an aimless bookstore manager and the manager’s elderly neighbor who constantly spies on him and his family. From afar, it seems the only thing they all have in common is the mall, but a closer look reveals a diverse group of people who all want something more out of life. As the end of the mall approaches, everyone begins to reevaluate their relationship to their jobs and their lives. They are a community of varied yet kindhearted souls brought together by unlikely circumstances and brought even closer after a shocking tragedy occurs.
Swamp Story by Dave Barry (2023)
In the Florida Everglades, Jesse Braddock is taking her infant daughter on a walk when she finds hidden treasure. At the same time, two dangerous men arrive looking for it. On the other side of town, a former journalist and alcoholic named Phil makes a fool of himself at a party dressed up as Dora the Explorer which gets the attention of Ken Bortle. Ken plots to lure tourists to his failing bait and tackle shop by filming a series of monster hoax videos starring Phil as the monster (it’s really just him wearing the gigantic Dora head from the costume). Brad, Ken’s brother, and Ken’s wannabe reality TV star friend Slater (Jesse’s ex-boyfriend) get roped into the scheme and before they know it, they become a viral sensation. As fans from all over flock to the swamp, their appearance becomes an inconvenience to Jesse, the men after her treasure and a politician trying to start his campaign. As the tagline suggests: “Nothing in this story goes as planned. This is, after all, Florida.”
Other books with multiple perspectives include: