People love a good anti-hero. A large part of this might be the fact that no one we know in real life is as good and bad a character. Another reason might be that we go around hiding our darker impulses every day. And a good anti-hero character shows us that we can all be liked and even loved despite them.
Unlike a villain, an anti-hero still evokes sympathy and affection from the readers. Being a hero and having a conventional heroic character is hard. We can’t and don’t always come out in our life are idealistic, brave, and moral.
So here is a list of great books whose anti-heroes you can’t help but love despite their lac or heroic characters.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Synopsis: True to the Gothic literature genre, no characters are objectively good. The story is narrated by a character as unreliable as they come. Wuthering Heights tells the story of obsession and vengeance. when our anti-hero Heathcliff finds the love of his life married to someone else.
The Anti-Hero: Heathcliff is the OG brooding anti-hero. He is in no way a good person – selfish, manipulative, abusive, and vindictive among other things. But the only positive aspect to his character was his ability to love. He loved Catherine with this all-consuming love regardless of her flaws. And that is the only redeeming character that stops him from that a straight-up villain.
While some people assume that the story romanticizes an abusive hero, that’s not true. The fact is Heathcliff’s actions are never portrayed in a positive light. A light has been shed on his childhood to explain why he is the way he is. But it is clear that what is romanticized is his love for Catherine and not him as a romance hero.
Quotes: “Be with me always – take any form – drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!”
“Be with me always – take any form – drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!”
Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Synopsis: I read this book as a kid who was obsessed with the idea of superpowers. And being invisible and being able to stop time were the most coveted ones. This science-fiction novel follows a former albino chemistry student turned mad scientist. He is obsessed with lights and optics. He finally learns to make himself invisible. And thus begins using his newfound power for nefarious purposes including mur-derrr.
The Anti-hero: Griffin falls into the category of mad scientists/insane anti-hero. Griffin starts off almost hero-like. But he moves more and more towards the darker side as the story goes on. The novel sends a conflicting message about who they are supposed to be rooting for. On one hand, the townspeople are plagued by this insane invisible person. On the other hand, Griffin is being treated horribly by the ignorant people of the small town.
Griffin too is an almost villainous character. He commits some heinous crimes in his obsession to make his discovery and later to reverse it. But we still find him a sympathetic character. Mainly due to how he is treated by others and how his progression to absolute villainy feels forced by that.
“And there it was, on a shabby bed in a tawdry, ill-lighted bedroom, surrounded by a crowd of ignorant and excited people, broken and wounded, betrayed and unpitied that Griffin, the first of all men to make himself invisible, Griffin, the most gifted physicist the world has ever seen, ended in infinite disaster his strange and terrible career.”
H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Synopsis: The novella tells the story of a portrait of Dorian Gray. An artist infatuated with Gray’s good looks has painted it. By selling his soul, Gray ensures that his beauty won’t fade with age. And instead, the picture will age and fade away on his behalf.
The Anti-Hero: Dorian has all the superficial qualities associated with a traditional hero. He is young, handsome, and full of vitality. But his main fault is that he enjoys everything in copious amounts. His story is a cautionary tale of the dangers of uncontrolled vice. His redeeming quality in the book is that while being morally confused, we can see him struggling with the idea of doing good and being moral. Even if he is not strong enough to not give into his vices, we can see him try and try real hard to fight his urges. He retains a conscience and a sense of guilt throughout the novel.
“You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.”
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Synopsis: The novel follows Becky Sharpe, a ruthless Victorian-era social climber. The only goal that Becky has in life is to get out of poverty. Sharp uses dirty tricks, betrayals, and even blackmail to get into high society.
The Anti-Heroine: This book does feel like it’s trying to pass moral judgment with her unhappy ending. But Becky Sharp is too likable of an anti-heroine for us to feel the same way as the author. She is perhaps the first literary femme fatale. True to the trope, she is ambitious, duplicitous, and attractive. On top of that, she knows how to manipulate men to serve her needs. This is the story of a wickedly immoral realist who is still able to appreciate the goodness in others.
“Revenge may be wicked but it’s natural.”
William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair
What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller
Synopsis: The story follows a huge scandal at a school told by a flawed, unreliable narrator. Sheba is a 42-year-old high school art teacher. The scandal follows her getting caught having an affair with her 15-year-old student. A huge media circus follows the incident. Sheba’s friend Barbara wants to retaliate and defend her friend. So she writes an account of the scandal in her friend’s defense.
The Anti-Heroine: In another book, the scandal and the perpetrators involved might have been the focus. But Barbara, our narrator, and anti-heroine is the highlight of this tale. Passionate and unpredictable, she wheedles her way into Sheba’s life. Whether she desires friendship or something more from Sheba is not directly explained. But there are very strong Sapphic undertones in the book. Even while she is defending her friend, it is clear how much she is revelling in her part of the scandal. Barabara is a twisted and exploitative character. But it is easy to see how loneliness is what pushes Barbara to all this mischief.
“In the end, I suspect, being female will do nothing for Sheba, except deny her the grandeur of genuine villainy.”
Zoë Heller, What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Synopsis: This is the story of teenager Bee Branch whose eccentric mother has disappeared out of the blue. She is trying to make sense of the disappearance. And also tries to track down her mother who she assumes has ended up in Antarctica.
The Anti-Heroine: Bernadette is our misanthropic antiheroine who hates everyone except her daughter. She is a highly intelligent shut-in who thinks of herself as a misunderstood genius. Bernadette has been having a hard time moving on from a traumatic event from her past.
“One of the main reasons I don’t like leaving the house is because I might find myself face to face with a Canadian.”
Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Synopsis: The novel follows Libby Day who was seven when her mother and sisters were murdered. Her testimony had led her brother to be sentenced to prison as the killer. But 25 years later, financially strained Libby is asked to look into the murder again. This time to potentially prove her brother’s innocence.
The Anti-Heroine: Libby Day is dark and broken but she still has the possibility of being fixed. She only ever acts out of self-interest with no regard for what is right or wrong. There are times when you will love her and times when you will hate her. You don’t forgive her for all the horrible things she does. But you will for sure understand why she did them.
“I am not angry or sad or happy to see you. I could not give a shit. You don’t even ripple.”
Gillian Flynn, Dark Places
