In Defense of the “Unlikable” Character, a guest post by Janet Sumner Johnson

I am a rule-follower and a people-pleaser. I have been since I was little. My classmates wouldn’t even bother whispering when they called me “teacher’s pet,” or “goody-goody,” or “Little Miss Perfect,” because everyone knew it was true. Me, included. Truth be told, I didn’t even mind. In fact, I liked it. 

Because it meant I had them all fooled.

Deep down, I knew I was a fraud. An imperfect kid with a temper who talked back to her mom, yelled at her dad, teased her siblings, grumped through piano lessons, sometimes hated school, and really wasn’t very perfect at all.

As a kid, I was a big reader, and characters like that? The ones like the Me I hid? They were always the bad guy. The bully. The “unlikable” ones. 

It took me years to unpack that stereotype and understand that flawed characters are not “unlikable.” They are human. Perhaps we feel they are unlikable because we can all relate a little too much.

Which is why I’m so proud of Hope Smith, my “unlikable” protagonist in The Winterton Deception: Final Word. Hope has a chip on her shoulder from the moment we meet her—and there’s a reason for that. She’s been ignored, and brushed off as unimportant almost her whole life, all because her family is poor. She is angry and ready to stand up for herself and her feelings.

Over the course of the book, Hope has a lot to learn. She is suspicious of rich people and wary about opening her heart to others because of past traumas. Honestly, her behavior is hard to watch sometimes. But her story still deserves to be told. 

In fact, sharing the stories of characters like Hope—the “unlikable” ones—is essential. Here’s why:

First, “unlikable” characters are relatable. 

“Unlikable characters” are often portrayed as selfish, angry, over-passionate, mopey, emotional, whiney, pessimistic, etc. Though we tend to look down on such traits, even the best of us act like that on occasion.

And who hasn’t felt alone because of it at some point, or as though nobody likes them? Even those who seem to have it all together are often hiding their fears behind a pasted-on smile (I should know). 

It is easy to see the worst in yourself, but not as easy to know how to deal with those feelings. Which is why we need “unlikable” characters. Reading about them makes it easier to believe we’re not alone, and it can help us buck the expectation that we have to be happy all the time to fit in and be accepted.

Despite Hope’s surly disposition at the beginning, she has her Mom and brother who love her—even when they’re mad at her. Even when she’s not very nice. Seeing that a person can be imperfect, yet still loved, is important. Even more, seeing how someone else copes with the very feelings we’re experiencing, helps us cope, which leads me to my next point.

Second, character growth promotes reader growth.

Growth is what makes a story interesting. And exploring how a person can overcome a flaw or trauma in a book, helps readers learn how to overcome flaws or traumas in their own lives. In short, readers grow with the character. And “unlikable” characters have a lot of room for growth.

Not only is it easier to see flaws in others, it’s easier to come up with solutions for others. And when readers learn to recognize how an “unlikable” character can improve their life, they are flexing a muscle. They are building coping skills that will help them as they face their own struggles.

Hope has spent years holding a grudge. It’s become so much a part of her that she can’t see how much it has limited her. (But readers can see it!) With a week at Winterton Chalet for the spelling bee, Hope is starting to get a picture of just how much she’s missed, and the only path forward is to learn how to trust and forgive. As readers watch Hope grow and develop these skills, they can grow, too. 

Third, “unlikable” characters build empathy in readers. 

Reading a story can give us insight into a character’s behavior in large part because we have the privilege of seeing their inner thoughts. We gain empathy because we understand their motivations in a way that likely won’t happen in real life. But once we open ourselves to another’s point of view, our biases become clear, and it’s easier to be more accepting of those who are different than us. 

Ironically, Hope has to learn this lesson as well. She has to set aside her own prejudices and learn to listen and understand. Readers can find, just as Hope does, that a person doesn’t seem quite so “unlikable” once we know more about them. 

In summary, “unlikable” characters send a clear message to readers.

They tell us that it’s okay to be considered unlikable by others.

They tell us that change is possible.

That everyone is capable of being loved.

They tell us that you don’t have to conform to others’ expectations to exist.

That your ideas matter.

And that your feelings matter.

These are lessons we all need. This is knowledge that empowers us. But even more importantly, it unifies us.

And the single most important lesson we can learn from reading “unlikable” characters, is that they’re not “unlikable” at all. They are characters with struggles. Characters with strong emotions. Characters who are different than us in some way. And none of those things should make a character—or person—unlikable.

Perhaps instead of labeling, or writing someone off, we should try listening and understanding.

That’s a lesson we could learn the hard way—through personal experience, as Hope does. Or we could learn it the easy way—through other’s experience, namely, those “unlikable” characters in books.

Meet the author

Janet Sumner Johnson writes both picture books and middle grade novels, including The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society, and The Recess Genius series. Her debut picture book, Help Wanted: Must Love Books, was the winner of the 2021 CLEL BELL Read Award and was nominated for the Children’s Choice Book Awards in Colorado (2022) and Washington (2023). The first book of her middle grade mystery series, The Winterton Deception 1: Final Word has received starred trade reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist. When she isn’t writing, she loves eating cookies, playing the piano, and singing along with the radio at the top of her lungs. She lives in Utah with her husband, three kids, and her dog. Visit her online at janetsumnerjohnson.com.

Here are all my links:

Website: http://janetsumnerjohnson.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsVerbose

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetsumnerjohnson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janetsumnerjohnson/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/janetsumnerjohnson.bsky.social 

About The Winterton Deception: Final Word

In this twisty middle grade mystery for fans of Knives Out, The Inheritance Game, and The Westing Game, thirteen-year-old twins Hope and Gordon enter a spelling bee in a last-ditch effort to save their family from financial ruin, only to find themselves in a cut-throat competition to uncover a fortune and dark secrets about the wealthy relations they’ve never known.

Hope Smith can’t stand rich people—the dictionary magnate family the Wintertons most of all. Not since she and her twin brother, Gordon, learned that their dad was one. So when Gordon enters the family into the Winterton’s charity spelling bee, Hope wants nothing to do with it. But with their mom losing her job and the family facing eviction from the motel where they live, they desperately need the money, and it looks like Hope doesn’t have much of a choice.

After winning the preliminary round, the Smiths are whisked to Winterton Chalet to compete in the official Winterton Bee against their long-lost relatives. Hope wants to get in and out, beat the snobbish family at their own game, and never see them again. But deceased matriarch Jane Winterton had other plans for this final family showdown. Before her death, she set up a clue hunt throughout the manor—an alternate way for Hope and Gordon to get the money that could change their lives.

Still, others are on the trail, too. With tensions at an all-time high, a fortune at stake, and long-simmering family secrets about to boil to the surface, anything could happen.

A tense, clever clue hunt unafraid to tackle the challenges and secrets often kept behind closed doors, Final Word is a gripping series starter sure to satisfy even the most voracious armchair detectives.

ISBN-13: 9781645951964
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication date: 10/31/2023
Age Range: 8 – 12 Years

Filed under: Guest Post