Best Sellers post 9: Likeability

The narrator of my book in Looking for Alaska by John Green is actually very likeable and relatable.  Miles Halter is my narrator and he is just like every other teenager wanting to fit in, wanting to have friends and not be socially awkward, wanting a relationship, and is very self-conscious who can be a  bit of a follower at times. This is why he is so relatable and likeable because you can relate a lot to him and what he’s going through as a teenager.

Miles Halter fits the argument made by Jennifer Weiner that there is nothing wrong with having a likeable character. I believe having Miles as the narrator and making him so relatable and likeable makes the book ultimately better and it makes me want to continue on reading the book. If a book did not have a very likeable narrator I honestly don’t think I would like it as much. So I do not agree with Claire Messud when she thinks that having a likeable character takes away from the book and or the message behind it, because I believe it actually adds to the book and makes it more intriguing to read. You get emotionally attached in a way to these narrators and the things that they go through so I really do not believe you’re missing anything by liking the narrator I believe you are opening up your understanding and love for the book even more.

 Looking for Alaska’s genre has a little bit of everything in it, but its main genre would be Realistic fiction. Even though Looking for Alaska has a likable narrator it is still a very literate book. It discusses the serious topics and hardships of being a teenager (alcohol, smoking, mischief, first love, etc.). So I don’t believe Claire Messud’s argument of the more likeable the narrator the more less literate the book, because again Looking for Alaska has a likeable narrator and is very much so literate in my opinion.