My local book club’s February pick was this “buzzy” 2014 book…
Nonfiction – Essays
Released August 5, 2014
339 Pages
Bottom Line: Skip it.
Affiliate Link: Amazon
Source: Purchased
Plot Summary: A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation. (Goodreads)
My Thoughts: I wasn’t a fan of this book overall, especially the political essays (lots of ranting, not enough logical arguments or data) and the entire section talking about movies (I haven’t seen a movie in years..I know, that’s really weird). I did enjoy the pop culture essays (Sweet Valley High? Absolutely!), the chapter about her experience on the competitive Scrabble tournament circuit (these things could spawn the next “Best in Show” movie!), and the final chapter about all the ways she departs from the “feminist stereotype” (her favorite color is pink, she loves men!).
The silver lining is that Gay’s essay on likable and dislikable book characters got me thinking about the last book I read, which was…
Fiction
Released January 20, 2015
339 Pages
Bottom Line: Skip it.
Affiliate Link: Amazon
Source: eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Plot Summary: When happily married Annie Black receives a photograph from twenty years ago in the mail, she’s forced to confront the past that is now invading her present.
My Thoughts: This was one of those books with a great start and ending, but a huge dip in the middle. Initially, I was hooked on the story and the suspense of how Annie’s past was going to come back to bite her. And, I thought the ending was clever and surprising (a welcome change after seeing The Girl on the Train‘s ending coming a mile away!). But, once Annie really starts delving into her past, the story lost momentum and her character began to annoy me to no end. She was behaving somewhat outrageously, but also being incredibly meek and timid. This bizarre combination frustrated me and I started not to care what idiotic thing she did next…and, this colored my opinion of the overall book.
What does Bad Feminist have to do with my annoyance with A Small Indiscretion‘s Annie Black?
As I read Gay’s essay on character likability and its effect on a reader’s opinion of the overall book, I immediately thought of Annie causing me not to like A Small Indiscretion…and a number of other books where my feelings about the characters influenced my overall opinion/rating.
Here’s a quick view of what I mean…
Sometimes dislikable characters cause me to dislike a book and sometimes they don’t. Why is this? Is there any pattern to it?
There seem to be two particular scenarios where dislikable characters cause me not to like the overall book…
- When the narrator is dislikable or annoying. I get frustrated living inside someone’s head who drives me crazy (i.e. Cecilia of The Husband’s Secret with all her tupperware and competitive mommying)!
- When every single character is dislikable and there is no “outsider” providing sane, hopefully hilarious commentary on their ridiculous behavior (i.e. no sane outsider in Julia Fierro’s Cutting Teeth).
What makes a character “likable” to me?
In Bad Feminist, Gay describes “likable” characters as those who:
Know how to play by the rules and care to be seen playing by the rules.
Are lovable while they do right.
When I talk about a likable character in a review, Gay’s definition isn’t what I mean. To me, a likable character is not a perfect character. It’s an interesting character that is not annoying…someone I’d want to hang out with. I, like Gay, find “perfectly likable” people a bit boring and not relatable. In real life and in books, I want to feel like I know someone for who they are, warts and all. I’ll take fiery, flawed, selfish Scarlett O’Hara over sweet, perfect Melanie Hamilton Wilkes any day!
Gay shares what she wants to see in characters:
The relevant question isn’t “Is this a potential friend for me?” but “Is this character alive?”
I want characters to be the most honest of all things – human.
I don’t quite agree with the “is this a potential friend for me?” statement because sometimes I do like a character for that reason. But, the characters I want to hang out with are rarely the lovable, rule playing, do-gooders Gay talks about. I’d rather hang out with the “honest humans” – so, I think we’re more or less in agreement.
What types of characters do you find “likable” and “dislikable”? Do dislikable characters color your opinion of the overall book?
Great post! You’ve got me thinking now about likable characters and unlikable characters. I don’t think I require flawed characters – I just like them to be human and relateable. I find if a character is too unlikable, I tend to not finish the book.
I’m with you on the human and relatable aspects. I’m all over the map on unlikable characters…for example, I didn’t like Florence Gordon as a character, but could see some relatable characteristics in her and the writing was gorgeous, so I ended up liking the book.
I have been thinking about likeable and unlikeable characters for quite a while. The characters changed the whole tone of GONE GIRL for me and they definitely played a part in my feelings for THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. I think, for me, I have to have at least one character that I can relate to in some way. I don’t have to agree with every single thing they do, but I must at least be able to see them as a “good” person. They can be a cross-the-line-legally-but-with-a-heart-of-gold character, but there has to be something redemptive or redeemable somewhere for me to really engage with a book. I don’t like coming out feeling that I need to shower off the negativity or actual filth. I do read a lot of crime novels and so the filth thing is appropriate. It’s been interesting lately to see the popularity of the what I would call the anti-hero. And many of those do not have a heart of gold and justice is not served and good does not win over evil. And there you’ve lost me. LOL
I did like BIG LITTLE LIES, so maybe the thing is that everyone’s definition of likeable/unlikeable is very personal or maybe it’s just their tolerance meter. 🙂
For some reason I thought the GG characters (especially Amy) were deliciously evil. And – b/c they were both dislikable, they sort of deserved each other…so I kind of reveled in watching their train wreck of a life. Ha!
Big Little Lies – as a mother of 2 young children, I think the mommy politics terrified me 🙂
For me sometimes it boils down to the plot. Is the plot rich or intense enough to overcome the deficiencies of the characters? The characters that I like the most are the ones that fire in them, like your example of Scarlett O’Hara, not necessarily people I would hang out with, but characters so fleshed out that you get a sense of who they are, who they have been throughout their lives on the most trying of circumstances. Ultimately that is also what makes a human interesting.
I think you’re right about the plot overcoming dislikable characters. That was part of the appeal of Gone Girl for me. Maybe it’s ultimately about what there is to carry the book. If you don’t like the characters, is there amazing writing, a heartstopping plot, etc to overcome the characters for you?
On the other hand, there are books in which I don’t care at all about the characters but the writing is so vivid that I just have to keep reading; such was my experience with The Book of Fragrances.
I agree – Meg Wolitzer’s The Wife was one of those for me!
The most important thing for me is that a character is believable. If there’s a convincing reason for a character’s action, then I can “like” even an unlikable character. So I agree with the “honest human” argument.
Thanks for your thoughts on Bad Feminist… I wondered about that one. I will pass.
This is very interesting, Sarah; now you’ve really got me thinking – ha! Good thing I’m reading this in the morning, recently post-coffee. I definitely don’t agree with Gay’s statement that the character should be “seen as doing right” or likable; usually, some of my favorite characters are the most despicable! Don’t get me wrong, I do also like characters who are “doing good,” they just can’t be TOO good, you know? This may be a reflection on my own character – hahaha! Great post!! I’ll be thinking about this as I read future novels and get into the characters.
I think Gay was describing characters that are deemed “conventionally likable” by society when she mentioned them being “seen as doing right”…not that SHE necessarily finds them likable. The second set of quotes described the types of characters she prefers…ones who are “alive” and “human”. So, I think you are more on the same page with her!
A great discussion here. I am one of those who just can’t enjoy the majority of books where I hate the main character (s). I didn’t get past the first few chapters of Gone Girl because of this, though readers told me I was “supposed to” hate them and that made the story great. Well, ok, I can see that and maybe I’ll give it another try. I can even like a villian in a story, so it doesn’t have to be only heroes, but if I can’t find a MC to cheer for then I probably will put the book down. Thanks for sharing this!
What a fantastic discussion point for a post. I don’t have to like characters to enjoy a book, in fact I can’t think of any examples where this has happened. Like you I look for realistic people, I don’t need to be friends with the character but I do need to feel that there are elements to those I’ve observed in ‘real-life’
I can’t stand characters who whine. I found Annie like that at times. Get up and do something to help yourself. I, too, like a flawed character, especially one whose mistakes stem from their fierce determination to accomplish their goals. Clever post. You’ve given me a lot to think about in terms of characters. I just finished The Secrets of Midwives. Will now contemplate those characters in a new way.
I agree and got really frustrated at her allowing herself to be led into ridiculous and pretty messed up scenarios. She was behaving in a way that a “wild” girl would, but she wasn’t there out of wildness. She was there because she just let these men run her show for her. I’ll look forward to your Secrets of Midwives post!
Maybe I don’t have to read Bad Feminist after all. thanks!