: Re: Can a character close to the MC betray them in the first book of a series? I am writing a book which is told in first person from the main characters point of view. There is a group mainly

@Goswami879

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I think that actually sounds really interesting actually. Sometimes, the question, "Can I do something with what I am writing?" isn't really the question. You can do whatever you want in writing in terms of plot.

I think what you are asking is not, what is possible with plot, but how do you pull it off in the narrative. In that case, I would look over some of the great stories that feature betrayal, and see how you can pull ideas from them. Here are some that I came up with:

Euripides' Medea
Harry Potter (Many examples throughout.)
King Lear
Macbeth
The Gospels (Judas' betrayal being archetypal for much Western fiction.)

These are stories that stand on their own without sequels (save Harry Potter) that deal primarily with betrayal.

Harry Potter is an easy one to dissect because I can assume you have read it, and betrayal is a theme throughout the whole book series, culminating in the penultimate book.

In the first book, the idea that Snape is a traitor is laid out from almost the very beginning, the MC's obsess over it and it seems so sure, then in the climax of the book, Quirrel turns out to be the traitor. In subsequent novels in the series you have different examples and types that would be good to go over and examine. In the final book, you have a different kind of betrayal with Ron leaving. This is ultimately settled but it could be a good study about how to bring a lot of tension into your novel.

A lot of thoughts, but hopefully something in there triggered your brain. Besides the HP novels, the other things I listed are pretty accessible and consumable.

Hope this helps!

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