This Novel Defies the Story Structure Rules You Know

Story structure is one of those things that many writers find to be a helpful framework while others find a hindrance. I believe in the importance of story structure for clarity and reader engagement because there are story rhythms we all innately know and understand. I think of story as part art and part science, and story structure is the science. It’s true that a writer who has already mastered these can learn to bend story structure guidelines to tell a different type of story. But like anything…you first have to learn to walk before you can run, and you have to learn how to use story structure rules before you can wield them to your will.

I often work with aspiring authors who are fairly new to fiction writing, but as all good writers are, they are very well read. And perhaps because of this, on occasion I note an issue in their manuscripts they may push back on by saying they’ve read something similar in a book. (Quick sidenote: Editors and book coaches should always supply solid reasoning for their editorial feedback. And if an editorial note doesn’t resonate with you, you’re always free to reject it.)

To that, I usually have three responses. First, the difference may be intentionality. A writer who has mastered the “rules” of writing can play with these rules because they understand them so well. Intentionality matters, and a deliberate structural decision can be a stylistic choice. But usually a writer who is still working on mastering their voice hasn’t made an intentional choice, and that shows on the page, so we have a conversation about that.

Second, the reality is there is a different standard for previously published authors than there is for aspiring debut authors. A published author has already achieved some measure of success, and they may already have an audience clamoring for more of their books. A publisher (or a reader) is less likely to take a chance on a new writer who has not yet proven themselves in the marketplace so you have less room to take liberties. And if you want to sell your book in the marketplace, you need to consider the reader experience.

Third—and this one can be hard to wrap our minds around—sometimes you can go against all recommended writing guidelines, and it just works. And it can be hard to articulate why. As Tiffany Yates Martin wrote in a recent article on JaneFriedman.com: “Successful story isn’t about finding the perfect structural system to follow, but discovering what works best for the story you want to tell and the experience you want your readers to have.” Sometimes an intentional yet unusual choice serves the story well, and sometimes the story is so engaging that we just don’t get hung up on the details. But that’s a pretty high bar and you still have to be deliberate in your choices.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately after I absolutely devoured Heart the Lover by Lily King. I was struck by how many clearly intentional choices the author made that go against typical story structure guidelines. Yet it worked beautifully. I loved this book so much, I finished it in a couple days despite working and parenting two kids. So today I wanted to explore the author’s atypical writing choices and why they worked.

But first…I have to tell you THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. I’m going to try to keep these to a minimum, but I do need to divulge some details to analyze the story; however I will do my best to keep it vague. But this book was such a delight to read, so if you haven’t read it yet, maybe pause now to go buy your copy, check it out of the library, or download the audiobook. Then please come back and share your thoughts in the comments!

For those who like to know these things (🙋‍♀️), Lily King’s Heart the Lover was released in Fall 2025 as a prequel to her popular Writers & Lovers, and the book is categorized as Literary, Women’s Fiction, Coming of Age, and Family Life in this order. (See my post Should You Stop Pitching Your Book as Women’s Fiction? to learn more about BISAC code categorization.)

Okay, onto how author Lily King makes her own story rules in Heart the Lover…

The story mostly unfolds in first person, and the narrator is dubbed Jordan by the other characters, a nod to The Great Gatsby character. Even the marketing copy only refers to her as “our narrator.”

Because this book is a prequel, some readers will already know the protagonist’s name. But, though this was my first Lily King book, I was never confused by this omission. Rather I thought the author’s choice to not reveal the narrator’s name served the story well.

The reader is quickly swept into the world at Breach Street along with “Jordan” where we meet Sam, Yash and friends. A striking contrast to typical student housing including Jordan’s own shared rental, the Breach Street house belongs to a professor who has generously allowed his favorite students to live there while he is away. At Breach Street the bills are always paid and the furnishings a huge upgrade from milk crates and salvaged cast-offs. Literary witticisms come quickly, clever nicknames abound, and imaginative card games delight. But the narrator’s nameless state only emphasizes how she never truly belongs to this world…she’s inhabiting a role along with the name. That becomes most evident when she eventually returns to the realities of her own world, alone in her room in a dilapidated house where no one can afford to pay for heat.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I opens with a prologue-like few sentences set after the story timeline and using the second person “you.” These lines read a bit like a typical dedication yet are part of the story and set the stage for what’s to come, and thereafter Part I is told in first person. Part II returns to the prologue’s second person POV as the narrator speaks directly to her friend and past love. And Part III returns to the first person POV.

Again, as the reader I never found this shifting POV to be disorienting. Without delving into the details, I think those who have read it will understand why I say it felt meaningful that Part II spoke directly to another character.

First I want to emphasize that the concept of “show, don’t tell” really should be “showing vs. telling.” It’s about finding the right balance. It’s not that we want all showing and no telling—there are scenes we don’t want to see dramatized as it would be boring and unnecessary. Exposition is needed. Dramatized (or shown) scenes tend to be more powerful and engaging, and I usually advise writers that we want to see the key scenes in a story told in this way to engage the reader, so they don’t feel they have missed out. But a story shouldn’t be all showing, no telling—and the balance of that is part of a writer developing their voice.

In Heart the Lover, we are so deeply in the protagonist narrator’s POV that the story is entirely shaped by her voice, and when she “tells” us parts of the story rather than “showing” us, it is colored by her perspective, and engages us in her world rather than feeling like an expository dump. The story is just so voicey. Yes, I know this is one of those publishing industry words that drives some crazy, but you probably know a voicey story when you read one…those stories where the narrative hinges on a distinctive narrator voice that is so engaging you want to keep reading even when there’s not a whole lot happening in the scene. And this narrator’s voice kept me eagerly turning the pages.

The entire novel follows the relationship of the main character and her first love…from their heady early days of first meeting and falling in love to a brief reunion many years later and then, again even later, a final reunion where they reconcile all their unfinished business. (Again trying to stay vague to avoid spoiling too much!) The story keeps a tight focus on this relationship despite the other meaningful events that happen to Jordan throughout the decades.

We often think of a three-part structure as aligning with the typical three acts of story. Act 2 is generally the largest chunk of the story (around 60 percent). But in Heart the Lover, Part I comprises the first 51 percent of the novel, following the narrator through her final year of college and the months when she moves abroad after she graduates. Part II is just 11 percent of the novel, and takes place over a single day many years later when the narrator and her past love are briefly reunited. And Part III is the last 36 percent of the novel. Part I’s lengthier and incredibly fun narrative encompasses both Act 1 and part of Act 2, with Act 3 kicking off in Part III.

So why does all of this work for this story? As I mention earlier, intentionality plays a big role. It’s evident these are deliberate structural choices as opposed to a writer who isn’t aware, for example, that they’ve lost control of the POV. But an author should also keep the reader’s experience in mind, and these choices do not inhibit the enjoyment of the novel by causing confusion or boring the reader; rather the author uses these techniques to skillfully draw us into the narrator’s world.

Of course, there’s also this…this is the author’s seventh novel and a prequel at that, so her readers were already eager for more. The reality is sometimes an author who has already proven themselves in the marketplace is able to be more experimental and not adhere to typical story structure, and this can just be a harder sell for a beginning writer.

All in all, Heart the Lover is a great example of how a talented and skilled author can shape structural guidelines to serve the story they want to tell and deliver a phenomenal reader experience. And clearly I’m not the only one who thinks so…I’m not a big BookTok follower but I took a peek over there, and this book clearly has BookTokers feeling some kind of way. And for aspiring authors, it’s a master class in deciding when story structure rules don’t work for the story you need to tell.

Have you read Heart the Lover? What did you think? (But please, please don’t tell me what happens in Writers & Lovers…it’s up next for me!) Is there another book you loved that threw typical story structure guidelines out the window?

Hi! I’m Heather Garbo…I’m a certified book coach for women’s fiction writers (re)discovering their writing voices in midlife. My story planning, drafting and revision methodology empowers aspiring novelists to transform fledgling ideas and messy manuscripts into engaging stories…because no woman should regret not pursuing her creative dreams nor doubt the value of her voice. Learn how to work with me at www.garbobookcoaching.com.