Sympathy

I’m reading a book that I don’t like. I’ve read a lot of books I don’t like, but they were good books. Right now I'm reading a book I don’t like, and it’s not even well written. The author breaks one of the cardinal rules of writing: Make your main character sympathetic. This doesn’t mean the MC has to be likeable. For example, in the book I’m reading the MC is nice. She’s just not sympathetic. Quinn (lame name) is attractive, wealthy, independent, successful, has a hot boyfriend, ad nauseum. She’s got everything, and thus she's not sympathetic; my only response to her is GAG.

So why am I still reading the book? Obviously, I don’t like the MC at all. The truth is that I like the dead girl Alicia. This is really pathetic because she’s only around for the first six or seven pages. Why is Alicia sympathetic? After all, she’s attractive, independent, etc., too. The difference is that Alicia’s flawed—before her death, she was depressed, mentally unstable, and not a good friend to the MC, which made me like her even more. And then, you discover that Alicia’s hot, wealthy boyfriend probably had her killed because she found out something she shouldn’t. So...I’m reading this book to find out who killed Alicia and why.

I wish the author had switched Alicia and Quinn. Of course, if she had, I wouldn’t have continued reading the book—I don’t care if Quinn dies. In fact, I’d rather she did.