Aug 16, 2011 (All Things Considered) — Dealing with rude, angry people is not fun. But when fictional, these unpleasant personalities can actually be quite charming. Author Ben Dolnick recommends three books and three central characters that'll have you flipping the page faster than you'd flip them the bird.
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This businessman might look particularly smug, but if you met him within the pages of a book, you might just grow to like him. (iStockphoto.com)
3 Antagonizing Protagonists You'll Love To Hate
by Ben Dolnick
Aug 16, 2011 (All Things Considered) — Dealing with rude, angry people is not fun. But when fictional, these unpleasant personalities can actually be quite charming. Author Ben Dolnick recommends three books and three central characters that'll have you flipping the page faster than you'd flip them the bird.People often talk about the characters in books as if they were considering whom to invite to a dinner party. "Oh, I just hated her — she was so mean." "He's a bully; I didn't like how he treated his mother." There's something to be said for a likable character, but fiction has a way of upending our ordinary standards. In life we like tranquility; in books we love tension. And in these three books you'll find protagonists you'd hate to meet — you'd change train cars to get away from any of them — but you'll love on the page.
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