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@article{204632,
        author = {Pihul and Chesta Yadav},
        title = {Narrative Intimacy and Reader Sympathy: Understanding Morally Ambiguous Killer Narrators in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and Caroline Kepen’s You},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {1},
        pages = {3303-3308},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=204632},
        abstract = {The traditional divide between heroes and villains has been altered by modern psychological thrillers, which provide readers ethically dubious protagonists whose deeds frequently transgress moral norms. Among the most notable instances of this trend are Caroline Kepnes's You (2014) and Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl (2012). The main characters in both books commit murder, stalking, deceit, and manipulation while still arousing the reader's pity and emotional connection. This essay looks at how Flynn and Kepnes use narrative devices to make readers feel sorry for Amy Dunne and Joe Goldberg in spite of their violent deeds. This study explores the connection between moral judgment and narrative intimacy by utilizing Wolfgang Iser's reader-response theory, Suzanne Keen's notion of narrative empathy, and Wayne C. Booth's idea of unreliable narration. The study makes the case through comparative textual analysis that readers are encouraged to comprehend and sympathize with these morally dubious characters through first-person and second-person narration, psychological depth, and strategic characterization. The study comes to the conclusion that reader compassion shows how narrative perspective can influence emotional reactions rather than necessarily indicating support for violence. The study adds to current debates over morality, empathy, and audience participation in psychological fiction by analyzing these books collectively.},
        keywords = {Reader Sympathy, Narrative Empathy, Unreliable Narration, Psychological Thriller, Morally Ambiguous Characters, Gone Girl, You, Reader-Response Theory.},
        month = {June},
        }