The Unreliable Narrator’s Deconstruction of the Illness Narrative in Lauren Slater’s Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir
Abstract
Within the larger scope of life narratives, illness narratives occupy a significant space both as honest expressions of often silenced, marginalized experiences and medically important accounts of how illnesses manifest in individuals. However, their sensitive nature necessitates that they are subjected to the overwhelming expectations of authenticity, evidence, and agency in order to be seen as legitimate. Lauren Slater’s illness memoir Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir (2000) challenges these expectations by constructing its narrative through lies, metaphors, and an apparent dismissal of the conventional autobiographical pact. This approach acts as a deconstruction of both the expectations of life narratives and how they specifically manifest in the perception of illness narratives. As Slater makes a different pact that prioritizes emotional truth over factual events, she asserts her agency and presents an authentic, candid, and multifaceted account of chronic illness that refuses to offer a conventional, digestible, marketable story of triumph against adversity.
Keywords
Lauren Slater, Illness Narrative, Epilepsy, Chronic Illness, Unreliable Narrator
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