Name: This is not a story by Denis Diderot
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.8 (5 reviews)
Author: Diderot, Denis, 1713-1784

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This is not a story by Denis Diderot

(5 User reviews) 776

By Juliette Moore Posted on Mar 30, 2026

In Category - Science Fiction

Authors: Diderot, Denis, 1713-1784 Published By : Diderot, Denis, 1713-1784

Book Language: English

Hey, have you ever read a book that plays tricks on you while you're reading it? That's 'This is not a story' in a nutshell. It starts with a narrator telling you about two friends, but then he starts arguing with *you*, the reader, about whether he's even telling the story right. He interrupts himself, changes details, and basically makes a mess of his own tale about Jacques, a servant with endless stories, and his Master, who just wants to get where they're going. The real conflict isn't just in the plot—it's between the storyteller and the person being told. It’s a wild, funny, and surprisingly modern-feeling ride from 1796 that feels like a conversation you can't look away from. If you like books that break the fourth wall and make you question how stories work, you have to try this.

File: This is not a story by Denis Diderot

The Story

On the surface, this is a road-trip novel. Jacques and his Master are traveling, and to pass the time, Jacques promises to tell the story of his loves. But Jacques is easily distracted, and his Master is impatient. Every time Jacques starts a tale, something interrupts him—a fight, an inn, a philosophical debate. We get fragments of his adventures, stories within stories, and digressions about everything from fate to free will.

But here's the twist: the narrator is a character too. He constantly butts in to comment on his own writing. He'll say things like, 'Reader, you probably think this is illogical,' or argue about whether a character would really act that way. He even suggests you, the reader, might want to rearrange the chapters yourself. The plot becomes a game between the teller and the listener.

Why You Should Read It

I picked this up thinking it would be a stuffy classic, but it's hilarious and feels incredibly fresh. Diderot isn't just telling a story; he's having a blast pulling apart how stories are built. The characters are great—Jacques is charmingly stubborn, and his Master’s frustration is very relatable. Their conversations feel real and spontaneous.

What stuck with me is how much it plays with ideas of control. Who controls a story? The writer? The characters? The reader? Diderot lets all of them wrestle for the wheel. It’s a book that makes you an active participant, not just a passive consumer. You’ll find yourself laughing one minute and then pausing to think about the nature of fiction the next.

Final Verdict

This book is perfect for readers who love playful, experimental fiction and don't mind a story that wanders. If you enjoy writers like Laurence Sterne (who Diderot was absolutely riffing on) or modern meta-fiction, you’ll see where a lot of those ideas started. It's also a great pick for anyone interested in the 18th-century Enlightenment, but from a fun, narrative angle instead of a dry philosophical one. Fair warning: if you like neat, linear plots with clear endings, this might frustrate you. But if you're up for a clever, chatty, and genuinely entertaining brain-teaser from 1796, give Jacques and his Master a ride.