Great Books With Unlikable Characters

Characters are so, so important to any story. If you can't connect with the characters or understand them on some level, the story loses it poignancy. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to love the characters in order to connect with them or love the story- and I think that people forget that sometimes. They say "I didn't like the characters", without considering why they don't like them and what purpose that character serves to the novel. Now, I know not everyone reads like an English Major like I do, but I think this is something that it very interesting to think about and apply to your own reading.

So, today I've got a few books that I love with characters that are unlikable. Feel free to add to my list. I would love to hear which characters you disliked and why.

  A Book Full of Bad People

Everyone in this novel is a bad person in some way shape or form, and I love it! The characters are so real and so interesting. I could talk about how much I love this novel for hours- but it really hurts my heart when people say they don't like this novel because they didn't like the characters. Fitzgerald did that on purpose! The fact that Nick narrates the story changes your entire perception of the characters and the events. His man-crush on Gatsby makes him a little bit unreliable as a narrator and paints Gatsby as the tragic hero even though he has as many faults as the other characters in the novel. I'm about to reread this one, so look out for more in-depth thoughts soon. 

Two Bad People in Love (and not surprisingly, bad things happen)

Wuthering Heights Graphic Novel Review

Both Kathy and Heathcliff are bad and unlikable people, but they are also so interesting. Especially Heathcliff. I loved discovering what motivated and kept him going through the novel and seeing just how much he was willing to sacrifice for revenge. This book offers such a candid look at Heathcliff and he is such an interesting character to study. I really want to reread this one soon so I can meditate on the brooding atmosphere of this novel and its characters.    

The Left-Handed Compliment King 

Jane Eyre Review

Unpopular opinion alert: I think Mr. Rochester is a jerk. I do not like the way he talks to Jane or treats her. Everything nice he says is really just a left-handed compliment. But with that being said, I was happy with the ending of this book. Jane is such a great and fierce character and I was so invested in her story that I was able to deal with my dislike of Mr. Rochester in order to hear her story. I was happy with the end, even though Rochester is not my favorite love interest he goes through some great character development (Jane's is better though!) and I think Jane balances him out very nicely. If you haven't read this one yet, I highly recommend it!
P.S. I would love if the world would stop marketing this as a romance story- the romance is just a small part of the plot. The plot is Jane's journey to self-love, respect, and acceptance.

Beautiful Writing Really Messes with Your Head

Lolita Review

You know you should hate Humbert Humbert, but Nabokov has created the perfect sociopath. Humbert Humbert's narration of his love affair with the young girl Lolita is so gorgeous it messes with your head. You start to ask yourself why you aren't horrified by this novel and why you're starting to sympathize with a pedophile and feeling annoyance at his young victim- It's all in the gorgeous writing that completely captures your mind! Humbert Humbert is one of the greatest unreliable narrators of all time.