This is so random but I am reading a book right now, one that I am almost done with and will review shortly, but the main character is really getting on my last nerve and it’s affecting my opinion of the entire book.
Infidelity as a topic is often very readable and most of the time there’s remorse and regret buried in there somewhere but I HATE when you see a character go down that path (blurred lines and all) and somehow we, as readers, are supposed to feel sorry for said character because of circumstances blah blah.
I. Don’t. Like. It.
I am 5% from the end and I am hoping there is some redeeming quality I’ve yet to unearth that will make me understand this character better.
Book Chatter 
Well, now I’m wondering what you’re reading.
I’ve read books that had a character with flaws I couldn’t stand, so I feel your pain.
An arrogant adulterer? That sounds annoying indeed.
Yep. Super annoying.
Sometimes the narrator is just plain annoying. Full stop. If the narrator sucks, and she/he is our only window to the story, it can ruin the reading experience.
I wanted to relate to the character because here was a woman who was overworked and finds herself unable to deal with the day to day but come on… I wanted to tell her to grow a pair but that is the most horrible thing to say to another woman.
Are you reading The Couple Next Door? I have it on my TBR list. That rots that the character is getting on your nerves that much. I hate when that happens! When it happens I usually wind up disliking the book because of it. I’m with you, there has to be some redeeming quality or else I just can’t bother with the character.
Not The Couple Next Door.
I can totally see why you don’t like seeing this sort of thing in books. I don’t mind reading about infidelity in general, depending on how it is handled. Also, I love a character with flaws… But there’s flaws and then there’s ‘this character is totally not relatable on a given point’, y’know.
Yes!! And it wasn’t believable to me either. Kissing is still cheating when you are married with kids. Sorry. She is like a kid in a candy store. Let me take a sample and worry about the consequences later. Ugh!
Now I want to know what you are reading. There was a book I recently DNFed for similar reasons. Arrogant adulterers infuriate me!
YEP, I feel this way too. Very occasionally I’ve read a book where I felt okay about the adultery contained within it, but in general it completely puts me off the characters. Like it’s just not that hard to NOT cheat on your significant other, which makes it very hard indeed for me to sympathize with whatever the person’s motives are. And it’s just seedy and gross.
These stories that flirt with infidelity are really no better. I mean your marriage may be having issues but then deal with it. You can’t justify kissing and flirting with another man when you are married. Come on. I really had no patience for this character.
Is there any guilt or remorse at all? That seems unlikely … most people would have some, even if the situation that prompted it is terrible…
Once in awhile, the character sees a mother and a child and is like, “oh, wonder what my kids are doing” or “wonder if they miss me”… made me wanna spit. She displays this kind of remorse but then continues to go on her merry way.
It’s also cause for me to abandon a TV show as well. Just can’t stand seeing it.
Agree. If something is wrong with the marriage, having the hots for some other guy certainly won’t help.
That’s always a tough subject for me regardless of the character’s reasons. When there doesn’t seem to be a real reason, at least not one that most people get through just fine, so over that.