I just finished reading a general market novel that left me wishing I had used that time to read a good Christian novel instead.
I am not going to name the book because it isn’t my intent to offer a review. But the novel reminds me of many others in the general market. Well-written, well-received, heavy with social commentary. And populated with characters I didn’t like and couldn’t root for. The character who got her unhappy ending didn’t deserve the outcome. The characters who got a happy ending didn’t deserve theirs. I was left feeling not uplifted by the read, but vaguely depressed. So to the end of evoking emotion in a reader, the author achieved success.
True, not every novel can or should be all rainbows and unicorns, but I think they should at least be populated with deserving characters, characters who, though flawed, ultimately grow to deserve their happy endings.
Your turn:
Do you mind when an unlikeable character gets a happy ending in a novel?
How do you feel when you encounter a worthy character finding a terrible end?
Do you prefer heroic heroes or anti-heroes? Why?
