Orual narrates C.S. Lewis’s novel Till We Have Faces.
Published in 1956, the novel retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective of Psyche’s older sister. Orual is the queen of Glome, and the story is presented as her written accusation against the gods. This viewpoint allows Lewis to explore jealousy, love, possessiveness, faith, and the difficulty of seeing oneself honestly.
Psyche remains central to the plot, but she is not the narrator. The distinction matters because the novel’s interpretation of the myth depends on Orual’s limited and gradually changing understanding. Bardia is a trusted soldier and adviser, while Arnom is the palace priest and a recorder of events.
Till We Have Faces was Lewis’s final completed novel. Unlike the Narnia books, it is aimed at adult readers and draws heavily on classical mythology. Lewis later regarded it as one of his best works of fiction, and scholars often identify it as his most psychologically complex novel.