Books written in the present tense

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

I'm currently reading (and hating) a book for my book group and realised that I was prejudiced against it from the start because it's written in the present continuous tense, which I find irritating. I've been trying to think of other books where I've persevered and got over the irritation and can't recall any I've enjoyed. Am I on my own with this or do any of you dislike it too? Are there any really good books written in the present tense? I know it's supposed to up the tension and feeling of immediacy but it feels fake to me.

[ScentedScandal]

I dont like present tense books much either. I'm sure it's why I couldnt get on with Wolf Hall.

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

YY Yourlittlesecret, definitely in spite of rather than because of. It's a hurdle to be got over.

So glad it's not just me, I am glad to be in esteemed company (thanks Halsall for the link, it was really interesting and I'd never have thought to link it with cinema as Pullman does, but it makes perfect sense.)

[eslteacher]

I was a sucker for Paula Danziger as a teen, all her books were written in the present tense. Kind of worked with the teen angst angle.

[TamerB]

I feel as if the author wants to keep me away from the characters- I can't get so involved.

[yourlittlesecret]

I thought it was just me. If I start a book and find it is written in the present tense I'm immediately prejudiced against it.
Two exceptions spring to mind. The Time Travellers Wife and Apple Tree Yard. Both of which I nearly put down 2 or 3 pages in but persevered and really enjoyed. That was in spite of the use of the present tense though. I still hated it.

[TamerB]

I hate it but it appears to be the 'in' thing in fiction writing.

[Finickynotfussy]

It's tiring to write like that too - I drafted a novel in present for some stupid reason and ended up converting it back into past. It works for action scenes sometimes but creates problems with flashbacks and other parts where you're not describing what's happening right in the moment. I read the Mabignion in translation a while back (Early Welsh saga) and they used present for action bits - so it's not just a modern thing.

[Caitlin17]

I can't think of examples but I really hate. It's so contrived and obvious.

[CalamitouslyWrong]

The knife of never letting go is written in the present tense, and it's really good. It's YA though. The iron king series is also written in the present tense, but it's not so good (and really poorly edited).

[Clawdy]

I really dislike novels written in the present tense,and wonder why a writer would choose to do this,as so many people find it annoying. Loved Wolf Hall though....

[DuchessofMalfi]

I find it a struggle to engage with a novel written in the present tense.

The Cellist of Sarajevo - I listened to this on audio book recently. It's written in the present tense, and I know full well I would have given up on it had I been reading it.

The Night Circus - now I've worked out what my problem with that novel is :o Just didn't like it as much as I had thought I would, and now I know why.

But, oddly, I did like Wolf Hall. Probably because the story was so good, I was prepared to overlook the style.

[AlpacaLypse]

I immediately thought of Wolf Hall, which I was unable to finish due to present tense. I know I've rejected several others over the years because the style has put me off at the browsing stage.

I can't think of any book I've ever read that uses the present tense throughout. Some use it in sections, to indicate that a different character is narrating and I can just about cope with small doses, but if it goes on more than a couple of pages I'm starting to get irritated.

[bibliomania]

Also very irritated with the present tense. I can sometimes overlook it if it's a very engaging book, but the author is fighting an uphill battle to win me over.

[maillotjaune]

This probably isn't the right thread to recommend this but I've just finished Transatlantic by Column McCann which I loved (and it has some sections written in the present tense although most of it's past tense)

[SolomanDaisy]

Not all great books are written in the past tense. Wolf Hall and Ulysses for example.

[pointythings]

I hate it too. I will not read a book written in the present tense and I don't bloody care that I may be missing out. So there.

I got caught out with a library book by Sophie Hannah which started out normal and then turned out to be half and half - I did not finish it. When in the library, I leaf through to check and when in a bookshop, I will not buy.

Writers, stop it. Just. Stop. It.

[Halsall]

Sorry, TheGirl, must check threads I'm on more often! Not sure if you'll find this but the Pullman piece was in the Guardian - here

[SpookedMackerel]

Remus YES! It drives me crazy when TV historians talk in the present tense, especially since they never do it consistently, but instead flit randomly between a range of tenses, sometimes even in the same sentence.

Having said that, lots of books that I have really enjoyed have been written in the present tense - The Siege by Helen Dunmore, The Time Travellers Wife. I think Anita Shreve does it a lot, and it annoyed me at first, but then I got more into the stories and forgot. I agree it can be very irritating though.

[highlandcoo]

I usually hate it too. Although, like you OP, I didn't realise that Hilary Mantel had done this in Wolf Hall, which I really enjoyed. Did she do it throughout? I honestly wasn't aware of it. Too busy struggling with the bizarre use of "he" probably ..

Using the present tense has the opposite effect to what I presume the author intends .. it reminds me constantly that I'm reading something made-up and makes it impossible for me to suspend my disbelief and get caught up in the story.

I also detest time-shift narratives but that's a whole other subject!

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

Halsall, do you remember where Philip Pullman had his rant (newspaper, arts review show on telly, radio?) If in print I may be able to google it: would like to hear his thoughts on it.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

'Daphne' by Justine Picardie was the worst - half a page of writing with ne'er a full stop, colon or semi colon. Excruciating.

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

Yes, Remus! Clearly modern literary publishers are economising on proof reading, as there are some truly awful examples of under- or wrongly punctuated passages in lots of books now, IMO. All a bit stream of consciousness and you have to reread at least twice to be sure you've got the sense of it.

I did like Wolf Hall though (so much I clearly blanked its use of the present tense from my memory!) but it is a rare thing. I find it hard to get over, normally.

[maillotjaune]

I think it's much harder to write well in the present tense but I love Wolf Hall and also Umbrella by Will Self which is all sorts of tenses .

So I don't find it's the tense but the quality of writing that matters. I think present tense is a bit of a gimmick for some writers and actually it's much harder to do well.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Another thing that REALLY annoys me is poor punctuation. Too many modern writers appear to have never met Colon, or his younger sibling, Semi, so ramble on for ever, using only commas - rather as I did then.