The ‘Unlikable’ Characters We Love to Hate

A woman shouldn’t have to be likable to be worth reading about. Whether real or fictional, we want to see the hills and valleys of a woman’s character.

This thought inspired us at The Persistent to ask contributors a bit of a tricky question: Who is a character, from a book, TV series or otherwise, who you kind of sort of hate — in a delicious way?

More often than not, the most interesting parts of a character are their less-than-perfect parts —the messy, rough, occasionally selfish and conniving qualities that make them jump off the page or screen. (It’s why we find impetuous Elizabeth Bennett so much more interesting than her sweet-natured older sister Jane in "Pride and Prejudice.") So next time you’re craving an unfiltered depiction of womanhood, warts and all, check out our favorite “unlikable” characters…you just might find your next favorite book or series in the process.

"My Year of Rest and Relaxation" by Ottessa Moshfegh features one of the most unlikeable main characters I've ever met, and that's saying something because I watch a lot of Bravo. The narrator, a rich, young white woman living off her dead parents' money in pre-9/11 Manhattan, is determined to sleep through the next year — and she'll risk anything else in her life to be able to do it. That may not sound like a riveting plot, but I devoured the book, lapping up the vapid narcissism of a traumatized 20-something.
— Han Goldstein, social media editor

All these years after she first made headlines, I still can’t get enough of Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of the house-of-cards biotech company Theranos. I’m so intrigued by what drove her to deceive everyone. Was it stupidity? Greed? Arrogance? Was she manipulated by others, or was she just so desperate to do something amazing that she lost all sense of reality? Her story, and the way it has been told, has also cast an unflattering light on our collective biases and our desire to mold women into stereotypes. Holmes became one of the best-known villains of Silicon Valley even though others have committed crimes just as egregious. There’s just so much to unpack here! — Josie Cox, founding editor

I’d have to choose Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, from "Sex and the City." She’s an unhinged, narcissistic maniac – yet somehow also relatable!
— Holly Baxter, contributing writer

Becky Sharp, the anti-heroine of William Makepeace Thackeray’s classic novel Vanity Fair, is an ambitious, striving, intelligent woman who is out to get what she wants. Written at a time when most women were depicted as sweet and passive, this memorable character leaves a trail of men in her wake as she climbs the social ladder. She'd be awful in real life, but as a reader, I rooted for her success.
— Laura Fraser, contributing writer

The writers on “Parks and Recreation” always went a little too far with the character of Tammy II and the way she tortured Ron (who everyone in my house loves), and Leslie too. Played by Megan Mullally, there was very little to like about her. But whenever Tammy II came up in an episode, we knew it was going to be squirmy, uncomfortable and fun to watch.
— Molly Dickens, contributing writer

If you haven't yet picked up "Yesteryear," the current New York Times best seller by Caro Claire Burke, you're in for a juicy treat: The anti-heroine, Natalie Heller Mills, is a semi-pathological trad wife who is so focused on the perfect family she is creating online that she loses touch with everything that is meaningful in life. She can be odious, but in a world that limits women's access to power, as a reader, I somehow also felt for her, as I do for the most memorable and complex characters in literature. Don't miss this one.
— Paula Derrow, features editor

Hopes are high when Hazel joins the team at the nearly all-white publishing firm in “The Other Black Girl” — doubling the total number of Black employees from one to two. We imagine Hazel will be an ally to 26-year-old Nella, in Zakiya Dalila Harris's twisty novel, but she quickly becomes a rival; and a hard-to-understand one, at that. It’s a disconcerting reminder that when one colleague is thinking solidarity, the other may be quietly stabbing a knife in your back. 
— Francesca Donner, editor-in-chief

Do you have a favorite least favorite character from a book, movie, or TV show? Drop a line to hello@thepersistent.com. We'll be back with more recommendations next Friday.