Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly book meme brought by T5W on Goodreads.
Happy Wednesday! I really think this month has some of the best Top 5 Wednesday topics. Last week I wrote about my favorite side ships, and this week I get to write about the best of the unlikable protagonists.
The most memorable characters are often those who are the murkiest, most complicated. They don't always make the right decisions; sometimes they do the wrong things on purpose. Sometimes they're downright despicable. And we love them and can't stop thinking about them, because they are often the ones who seem the most human.
Lada Dragwlya from And I Darken by Kiersten White
In And I Darken, Lada is the gender-swapped Vlad the Impaler. She's brutal, selfish, full of hate and fury. And I absolutely fell in love with her. Lada isn't someone who just needs someone to love her and then she's "fixed" and sudden well-adjusted. She is just who she is from one end of the book to the other. I absolutely cannot wait for the follow-up (which comes out in 6 days!!!T^#$)
Amy Dunne from Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
At first I had both Nick and Amy, and had started to write about how I couldn't choose between the two of them. During that time, I totally talked myself into Amy. She's obviously the worse of the two of them from just a basic definition of "unlikable," but she's also a super terrifying and captivating character. She is absolutely one of the most disturbing characters I've ever read about or seen on a screen and I could not look away, not even when it was all I wanted to do.
Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
It's been ages since I last read The Catcher in the Rye, but I loved Holden. I know people love to hate him, and I understand why, but he tickled me.
Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood
Daniel Plainview is a nasty, hateful man but also one of the most memorable characters. He's so manipulative and greedy and vicious. I mean, he's really pretty awful.
Pretty Much Everyone from Girls
GirlsSo, I don't know if I'd actually say I love all the unlikable protagonists in , but I definitely have a lot of thoughts about them. This show has been one of my favorite to hate-watch, but I've also been very moved by their journeys.
Dis/Honorable Mentions: Humbert Humbert from Lolita, Alexander P from Portnoy's Complaint, Professor Umbridge from Harry Potter.
Are any of your favorite or least favorite characters on this list? Let me know!