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I read a few when I was about 10 or 11. I think that they were those "choose your adventure" type books, so maybe that doesn't count as a novel. I've never seen any "adult" fiction in second person, other than the occasional narrative thing at the start of a story... For instance: "You have chosen file number 1245; document title: "The Last Days of Earth, Part 1. Your language choice is English. It has been a pleasure serving you. Your file awaits."
That's fairly rare, but it happens.
Still, second person is usually reserved for instruction manuals and such. And even then, easily avoidable. Most people don't like being told what to do, let alone being told how to react in a book.
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I like Italo Calvino a lot. Reminds me of my dad, who used to read the first chapter of "If On a Winter's Night a Traveler" out loud all the time.
Posts: 818 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas is written in second person. The voice is strange, but I think one of the intriguing possibilities that the reader has a sense of helplessness.
I wouldn't mind reading a deeply personal novel written in second person. Hart's Hope is kind of written in second person, but I think there is room for a character driven novel overflowing with anguish written in the second person.
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