Multiple POV Done Right: Storytelling Techniques from Wild Dark Shore
Article 9 of the Wild Dark Shore series
Most writers agonize over point of view. First person or third? Single narrator or multiple? Past tense or present?
Charlotte McConaghy makes a choice in Wild Dark Shore that would make most writing teachers raise an eyebrow: she uses both first person AND third person in the same book.
Dominic and Rowan narrate their chapters in first person. Two of the children—Raff and Fen—appear in third person.
This isn't a random choice or a stylistic quirk—it's a strategic decision that serves the story in specific ways.
If you haven't read my complete review and analysis of Wild Dark Shore, start there for full context on the book.
Today we're breaking down exactly why McConaghy's POV structure works, when mixing POVs is a good idea (and when it's not), and how you can make strategic POV choices in your own work.
Let's dig in.
The POV Structure of Wild Dark Shore
Before we analyze why it works, let's map out exactly what McConaghy does.
Wild Dark Shore alternates between five perspectives: Dominic (first person), Rowan (first person), Raff (third person), Fen (third person), and Orly (who speaks directly to Rowan).
The chapters are clearly labeled with the character's name, so readers always know whose perspective we're in. No confusion about who's speaking.
The two adults get intimate first-person narration. The two teenage children are held at slight distance with third person. (Orly is a special case; we’ll get to him later).
This creates an immediate hierarchy of access. We're inside the adults' heads completely—their thoughts, feelings, biases, and potential unreliability are all on display.
With Raff and Fen, the teenage kids, we have access to their thoughts and feelings too, but there's a subtle buffer. We're with them, not inside them.
Why First Person for the Adults
Let's start with Dominic and Rowan's first-person chapters.
First person creates maximum intimacy. When a character says "I," readers unconsciously align with that perspective. We're not just observing—we're experiencing.
This intimacy serves McConaghy's purposes because both adults are deeply unreliable narrators.
Dominic is haunted by his wife's abandonment, hears her voice in the wind, and has made choices he's hiding from everyone including himself. His first-person narration lets us feel his conviction even when we start questioning his grip on reality.
Rowan arrives with secrets and lies. Her first-person chapters let us experience her justifications, her rationalizations, her selective memory. We understand why she's doing what she's doing even as we suspect she's not telling the whole truth.
First person is perfect for unreliable narrators because it pulls readers into the narrator's distorted reality.
We can't maintain comfortable distance when someone is saying "I." We're complicit in their perspective whether we trust them or not.
Why Third Person for the Children
Now let's look at why the two teens get third-person treatment.
The most obvious reason: children see and understand things adults don't, but they also misinterpret and lack context.
Third person gives McConaghy flexibility to show us what the children observe without being limited to their understanding. We can see Raff's grief-fueled rage while also understanding the larger context he can't fully grasp.
We can watch Fen's connection with the seals and understand what it means about her need for safety, even if she can't articulate it herself.
Third person lets us be with the children without being limited to their developmental perspective.
There's also a protective element. These children have experienced trauma, isolation, and loss. First-person narration would force us so deeply into their pain that the book might become unbearable.
Third person maintains empathy while providing slight emotional buffer.
Additionally, the children function partly as observers of the adults. They're watching Dominic and Rowan with suspicion, curiosity, and need. Third person positions them as witnesses in a way that serves the mystery structure.
We're solving the puzzle alongside the children, not trapped inside their limited understanding.
Why Orly is Special
Orly is a bit of a special case. He alone, out of the three children, does not fall into a third person POV.
In Orly’s chapters, he speaks directly to Rowan. But because there is no dialogue—his chapters are in a storytelling monologue format—it feels like he is speaking directly to us, the reader.
This allows for a special intimacy that feels childlike in its directness. His voice is earnest and trusting, and paints for us the wonders of the plant world.
His stories allow us to see the world from his point of view, and to fall in love with both him and his world.
The Psychological Effect of the POV Split
Here's what's brilliant about McConaghy's choice: the POV split reinforces the emotional reality that parents and children live in different worlds.
Dominic experiences fatherhood from inside his own desperate love, grief, and fear. The children experience childhood from inside their observation of their father's behavior.
These are fundamentally different experiences of the same relationship, and the POV structure makes that difference visceral.
When Dominic says "I" about protecting his children, we feel his conviction. When we see the children in third person watching their father, we see the gap between his intentions and their experience.
This creates dramatic irony and emotional complexity without McConaghy ever having to explain it. The structure does the work.
This connects to the atmospheric techniques I discussed in my earlier post about what authors can learn from McConaghy's atmospheric writing—POV is another tool for creating immersion and emotional resonance.
Establishing Authority and Reliability
The POV split also establishes whose version of events we should trust—or at least whose perspective is anchoring the narrative.
The adults are protagonists. Their first-person narration gives their storylines more weight and urgency. We're invested in their emotional journeys because we're inside them.
The children are crucial to the story, but they're not driving it in the same way.
They're responding to the adults' choices, observing the adults' secrets, and ultimately affected by the adults' decisions. Third person positions them appropriately as deeply important but not primary.
This doesn't mean we trust the adults more—remember, they're both unreliable. But it means their perspective frames how we experience the story.
If the children had been in first person too, we'd have five competing claims to narrative authority. That could work, but it would create a different kind of story—probably more ensemble, less focused on the adult relationship.
McConaghy's choice creates clear primary and secondary perspectives without diminishing anyone's importance.
The Practical Benefits of Mixed POV
Beyond the psychological and thematic reasons, mixing first and third person solves practical storytelling problems.
Problem #1: Too much intimacy becomes exhausting.
Five first-person narrators would be overwhelming. We'd be deep inside five different heads with no breathing room. McConaghy gives us intense intimacy with two characters and slight distance with three.
This creates rhythm and pacing. The first-person chapters feel urgent and confessional. The third-person chapters let us catch our breath while still advancing the story.
Problem #2: Mystery structure needs controlled information.
The mystery in Wild Dark Shore depends on revealing information strategically. First person for all five characters would make it harder to control what we know when.
Third person for the children lets McConaghy show us what they see and suspect without giving us complete access to their reasoning. We're discovering alongside them, not ahead of them.
When Mixing POVs Works (And When It Doesn't)
Let's talk about when you should consider mixing first and third person in your own work.
When It Works:
When you have clear reasons for treating different characters differently. McConaghy has specific justifications for why adults get first person and children get third.
When the POV difference reinforces theme or relationship dynamics. The parent/child split mirrors the adult/child experience divide.
When you want varying levels of intimacy with different characters.
Not all perspectives need to be equally close.
When you're writing across significant age or power differences. Adults and children, humans and non-humans, etc.
When you have a mystery structure and need to control information flow differently for different characters.
When It Doesn't Work:
When you can't articulate why you're making different POV choices for different characters. "I felt like it" isn't enough.
When the POV switches feel random or inconsistent. If you switch POV choices within a character's arc, readers get confused.
When you're new to POV management.
Mixing POVs is advanced technique. Master single POV first.
When your story doesn't have clear reasons for the distinction. If all your characters could work equally well in first or third, pick one and stick with it.
When you're trying to be clever or different rather than serving the story. POV choices should be invisible in service of narrative, not calling attention to themselves.
How to Choose POV for Each Character
If you're considering multiple POVs in your work, here's a decision framework.
Step 1: Identify Your Primary Perspective(s)
Who's driving the story? Whose emotional journey is most central? These characters might benefit from first person's intimacy.
In Wild Dark Shore, Dominic and Rowan are the primary emotional and plot drivers. The relationship between them is the core. First person pulls us into that relationship.
Step 2: Consider Each Character's Role
Are they protagonist, observer, foil, victim, witness? Different roles benefit from different distances.
Observers often work well in first person (they're telling us what they saw). Victims might need the protection of third person. Foils might work better at slight distance.
Step 3: Think About Reliability
First person makes unreliability more compelling but also more obvious. Third person can hide unreliability better or present a more "objective" view.
If you want readers inside a character's delusions, first person. If you want readers to see the gap between what a character thinks and reality, third person might serve better.
Step 4: Consider Age, Power, and Privilege
Characters with less power, privilege, or understanding might benefit from third person that provides context they can't provide themselves.
The children in Wild Dark Shore need us to understand them beyond their own self-understanding. Third person provides that.
Step 5: Test Your Choice
Write a scene in different POVs and see what works. Does first person create too much intensity or just enough? Does third person create helpful distance or frustrating barrier?
The POV that serves your specific story goals is the right choice.
Managing Multiple POVs Without Confusion
Whether you mix first and third or use multiple POVs of the same type, you need to manage the structure clearly.
Use Clear Chapter Breaks
McConaghy labels every chapter with the POV character's name. No ambiguity about whose perspective we're in.
Don't make readers work to figure out who's narrating. Clear markers at chapter beginnings solve this instantly.
Give Each POV a Distinct Voice
Even in third person, characters should sound different. Their preoccupations, vocabulary, rhythm of thought—all should be distinctive.
Raff's chapters feel different from Fen's feel different from Orly's even though they're all in third person. Their concerns and observations are unique to them.
Don't Switch POV Mid-Scene
This is a cardinal rule. One POV per scene or chapter. Switching mid-scene (called "head-hopping") is disorienting and can feel amateurish.
If you must show multiple perspectives on the same moment, separate them with clear breaks and markers.
Create Different Chapter Rhythms
McConaghy's first-person chapters often feel more intense and confessional. Her third-person chapters sometimes provide more action or external observation.
This rhythm creates variety and pacing while serving each character's role in the story.
Common Multiple POV Mistakes
Let's talk about what NOT to do.
Mistake #1: Too Many POVs
Five is pushing it. More than that and readers can't keep track or invest deeply in anyone. Be ruthless about whether each POV is truly necessary.
Mistake #2: Giving POV to Characters Who Don't Need It
Just because a character is important doesn't mean they need a POV. Sometimes they're more effective seen through others' eyes.
Mistake #3: Using POV to Info-Dump
Don't give someone a POV chapter just to convey backstory or explain plot. Every POV chapter should advance the story and deepen character.
Mistake #4: Inconsistent Voice
If all your POV characters sound identical, you're not actually writing multiple POVs—you're writing one narrator with different names.
Mistake #5: Neglecting One POV
If you give someone three chapters early on then forget about them for 200 pages, that's a problem. Plan your POV distribution across the whole arc.
First Person vs. Third Person: The Core Difference
Let's clarify the fundamental distinction.
First person ("I") creates:
Maximum intimacy
Strong voice and personality
Potential unreliability
Limited scope (can only know what the narrator knows)
Immediate emotional impact
Third person ("he/she/they") creates:
Flexible distance (can be close or far)
More "objective" feeling (even when it's not)
Easier access to multiple perspectives
Broader scope potential
Slightly more emotional buffer
Neither is better—they serve different purposes. Choose based on what your story needs, not what you're comfortable with or what's trendy.
The Unreliable Narrator Advantage
One reason McConaghy chose first person for Dominic and Rowan becomes clearer as the book progresses: they're both lying to us (and themselves).
First person makes unreliable narration more effective because readers naturally trust "I" statements. When someone says "this is what happened," we believe them initially.
The betrayal when we realize they've been unreliable hits harder in first person.
With third person, we maintain enough distance to question everything from the start. With first person, we're complicit in the narrator's self-deception until the truth surfaces.
If you're writing mysteries, thrillers, or psychological fiction, consider first person for characters who can't or won't tell the whole truth.
POV as Craft, Not Preference
The biggest lesson from McConaghy's POV choices: this isn't about what she likes or what's trendy—it's about what serves the story.
She chose first person for the adults because their unreliability and emotional intensity required maximum intimacy. She chose third person for the children because their perspective needed context and protection.
These choices are invisible to most readers—we're not consciously thinking "oh, interesting POV choice." We're just experiencing the story. That's the goal.
Your POV choices should serve the story so well that readers don't think about them at all.
When POV becomes noticeable, it's usually because something's wrong—inconsistency, confusion, or choices that fight against the narrative instead of supporting it.
Study POV in books you love. Notice what choices authors make and why they might have made them. Then apply those lessons strategically to your own work.
Keep Sharpening Your Craft
POV is just one element of what makes Wild Dark Shore work so well. McConaghy's atmospheric writing, her use of remote settings, her approach to climate themes, her character development—all of these work together to create a compelling reading experience.
I'm continuing to break down these craft elements in this series so you can steal the techniques that work and apply them to your own writing.
Every element of craft is a tool you can master with practice and strategic study.
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