I’m halfway through the book I’m reading, the latest by one of my favorite authors, and I have found the main character aggravating from the start. I considered giving up after a few chapters but I love this writer so much, I can’t bail on her or her track record. This happens more than it used to – I want to shake the primary person inside the covers, I debate whether or not to move on to the next book. I wonder if as I age my tolerance for people, even fictional, has lessened so much that it impacts my beloved hobby. Or has a trend begun where the heroine has to be the opposite of a heroine, a no-roine?, in the beginning so that they may triumph in the end?
There is a good chance that not particularly liking the lead in a novel may indicate that I’m invested, that I care enough to be annoyed. I see something there, a redeeming quality, possibilities, just like in my non-fictional world. It may very well be worth seeing it through.
On the other hand, we are all faced with people and situations that we wish we could take to the library book drop, throw in the slot, listen for their slide down the chute, slam the door and walk away. There are many more books on the shelf, new people to meet, an infinite amount of life’s experiences to explore. It’s okay to move on. Not everything nor everyone is forever.
Art imitates life. Only you can decide whether to stick it out to The End.
