How Lovable Do Characters Have to Be?

Characters should be relatable, we all know that. But do they have to be likeable?

I once had a reader comment of one of my protagonists, “That was the most disagreeable character since The Great Gatsby.” My first reaction was “Wow! Me and Scott Fitzgerald in the same sentence!” But then I realized I didn’t come off too well in the comparison. However, there’s food for thought in that reader’s remark, because The Great Gatsby is a highly successful novel, a masterpiece—and it’s true, the protagonist is a disagreeable, dishonest narcissist. So, can you do that, or did I violate some canon of good writing? Let’s reflect a little on the question.

Curmudgeons and literature

I’d say genre expectations have a lot to do with the permitted limits of disagreeability. Literary novels definitely make curmudgeons a staple. Olive Kitteridge, for example, is no one you’d want to get cozy with. But it’s precisely the honesty and self-knowledge that lurk under her fierce exterior that we observe with compassion as she blunders her abrasive way through life. That’s what makes the depth of the book so compelling. That’s what makes it literary. We know enough about her past and what she’s dealing with to explain if not excuse her behavior. She’s complex, not a cardboard curmudgeon.

Other genres? Take your chances

Noir detective stories are another genre that tolerates disagreeable protagonists. Think of all the misogynist, alcoholic investigators who populate crime fiction (especially in Sweden!). Think of all the smart-ass young wannabe’s who are trying to prove themselves to or supplant their superiors. They would be intolerable—except that we’re invited into their head where we can see the demons they’re fighting. Nobody you’d want at your dinner table, but maybe deserving of a little compassion or even admiration, because in spite of their personality handicaps, they get the job done brilliantly.

Cozies are a very different story. Here, I think an unpleasant protagonist might be just what the reader didn’t order. To be sure, Agatha Raisin comes close, but most cozy mysteries want to create a feel-good environment—picturesque villages populated by nice people, tea shops and cats. Sure, you can foil expectations, but at your own risk. Readers browse that shelf expecting certain things, and they want to be, well, cozy and comfortable while reading. Frustrate those expectations at your own peril.

Just for the thrill of it

Thrillers are a mixed bag. Think of the enormous success of Gone Girl (does this count as a thriller?), where our narrator turns out to be worse than just unreliable—a thoroughly disagreeable person. It’s precisely the gap between what she seems to be and what she is that makes for part of the surprise that is the heart of the book. I don’t hear readers complaining about Amazing Amy!

Yet even in thrillers less surprise-dependent, what most readers are really looking for is protagonists who are superhumanly brave and effective. They get the job done with panache. Often, they aren’t the most deeply developed characters, because these are action books, not character driven. I find a lot of them pretty unpleasant people, because they have the traits that they need to succeed at deeds of derring-do. But then, I’m not the target audience.

And so?

Bottom line: there is no prescribed amount of acerbity that a writer can infuse into her protagonists. Every reader will bring to your book a different level of toleration, just as in real life some people are more tolerant of crosspatches than others, more willing to find explanations in that person’s past or present. Take into account the canons of your genre, but be aware every reader will have a different set of expectations. No matter how curmudgeonly your character is, just be sure to make him three-dimensional and nuanced. And beyond that, be ready to take your chances. Good writing only demands that he be relatable, not likeable. But you may have to pay for your literary integrity in sales!