Is a prologue the only way this would work?

I want to like, do a scene where the other character (who isn't the narrator of the book) talks to the mother of the main character but the main character isn't in the scene?





Confusing, sorry. I don't know how best to explain it. I don't think it's possible, since the book is in first person. Would it work as a prologue?Is a prologue the only way this would work?
Not confusing. Yes it would work best as a prologue. If you like you can do it several times during the book. Sometimes an author will put that part in italics. And this will help move the action along and give the reader (and writer) a break from the narrator.





One more thing. Maybe don't let your readers know what's going on when it happens. The English Patient, while confusing, is a satisfying read because one doesn't always know whether s/he is in the past or the present or just what. It calls for careful attention to the story. Needless to say this would have been anathema to Harper Lee (I think), who wrote a seamless masterpiece that a child could understand but appealed to the most sophisticated reader.





I know I go on and on but film director Stanley Kubrick deliberately hid his themes so that movie goers would have to concentrate extra on the plot. His thinking was that if he didn't tell the audience everything that was going on straightforwardly, they would figure things out for themselves and have a better movie-going experience.Is a prologue the only way this would work?
Make it in 3rd person instead - You can switch point of views very easily in 3rd person.





In 1st person, you CAN switch people, but they have to be, like, completely different chapters. Like:





Chapter 1: Allie





Chapter 4: Jason





And whoever is the chapter person, is the one whose point of view it's from. Of course, if you're only going to depart ONCE from the main character, then that's an awkward way to do it.
You can switch between first and third person!