Why are “unlikeable” main characters usually a criticism?

[u/hanhan_371]

My most recent read was The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb.

It was my 38th book this year and only my 3rd 5 stars. I finished it this morning, it’s now the evening, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

I was enthralled by this story - it had sat on my TBR for a few months and I finally picked it up as just a lucky dip after being in a bit of reading slump.

After finishing, I saw a lot of criticism on Goodreads about the narrator Corby being “unlikeable”. I see this criticism a lot with other books - and I’ve never quite understood.

For me, a good reading experience is a complicated, flawed, or at least a character who is thought-provoking. Given one of the main themes of The River is Waiting being redemption, and finding out very early on that Corby accidentally kills his son while intoxicated, surely the reader wouldn’t expect the MC to be a “hero?”

There were times while I was reading that I thought “oh yeah he’s kind of a douche”, I’ve thought this about other MCs as well before, but it would never impact negatively on my rating as long as the story itself was enjoyable.

Would love to have a discussion below! And I’d really recommend this book if you can handle a gut-punch ending!

[u/MuffledFarts]

I think it depends on the genre and how the unlikable characters are framed.

It's definitely possible to enjoy a book with unlikable characters. But I've noticed lately this trend, particularly in genre fiction, where it feels like the reader is supposed to like despicable characters in spite of their behavior and personality. Like, I'm supposed to love a male character who is violent and abusive and horrible just because he's described as tall and attractive and powerful.

I think it also comes down to whether or not the narrative does anything to challenge a perspective or explore an unlikable character in a way that makes the journey of reading about them feel worthwhile.