Everyone has their own version of events. Unreliable narrators make great use of that fact.
Such characters are nothing new in literature. Nelly Dean, the housekeeper who narrates Wuthering Heights, brings her own biases and judgments to the events she describes. It soon becomes clear how Holden Caulfield’s trauma shapes his story in The Catcher in the Rye. Gone Girl even offers two unreliable narrators, Nick and Amy Dunne, whose efforts to mislead yield a twisty tale that leaves readers guessing until the very end.
Unreliable characters are a
reliable literary device. Unlikable characters, however, are more
contentious. Standard writing advice says readers must root for our characters
at least somewhat or they won’t be invested in our stories. So even if a
protagonist is speaking or acting in off-putting or objectionable ways, it is
the writer’s job to make them engaging or relatable enough that the reader can
still connect on some level. The bad guy is never the bad guy in their own
story, after all. They see themselves as the hero.
This is especially true for crime
fiction. When I write from the point of view of the criminal, I don’t expect readers
to approve of the theft, or murder, or other crimes they commit. But I do want readers
to understand why that character might have felt justified in their actions,
even if they don’t agree. I hope to create a believable person rather than a
cardboard villain.
The only way to salvage the story
was to sideline him. He’s still there, because he helps advance the plot, but
he’s less important and less obnoxious. The main character now is someone
different, someone who is up to no good but for good reason (at least to them).
Unreliable? Maybe. Unlikable? Definitely not.
Are you a fan of unreliable
narrators? How about unlikable ones?
I prefer characters who, while they see the world through their past experiences, are consistent with their perspective. Interesting characters are more important to me than likeable -- unless they become despicable, in which case I lose interet.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to balance likability with the needs of a story on the first draft. The second is where o may soften someone. But, is my statement reliable?
ReplyDeleteI usually feel sympathy for unreliable narrators. Eleanor Oliphant is an example of that. "Unlikable" is a range; very few characters (or people, for that matter) are totally unlikable. But I don't want to read about, or know, the extreme ones.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading that one of Agatha Christie's books had an unreliable character. I won't give the title so as not to spoil it for someone else. Being aware at the very beginning of the book that the character was the villain, I could spot the clues as I read--clues that I probably wouldn't have picked up on given that the character was presented as a key good guy.
ReplyDeleteUnreliable is so different from unlikable. I have family members who are unreliable, but I still like them a lot...lol! That said, I'm thinking of the TV show Secession. I didn't like ANY of those characters and really stopped enjoying the show because of it.
ReplyDelete