Everyone has at least one fictional character they fall in love with, or dream about, or laugh and cry with – and I want to share with you my favourite fictional characters and why they have made my Top 10 list.
I have chosen characters from books I have read in the last 5 years so I apologise to those expecting Atticus Finch, Scarlett O’Hara, Adrian Mole or Sherlock Holmes, who without doubt are fictional legends.
In no particular order, here are my top 10 fictional characters. Have you met them yet? Why not? Do you agree with my choices and if not, who would be in your Top 10?
No 1.
Edward Stanton – 600 Hours of Edward, Edward Adrift, Edward Unspooled – Craig Lancaster
We meet Edward Stanton in Book 1 – 600 Hours of Edward. He is a 39 year old man with Asperger’s syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder. He has a carefully constructed routine which includes tracking his most common walking time (7.38am) watching one episode of the 1960’s cop show Dragnet each night. (10.00pm) and refusing to start his therapy sessions even a minute before the appointed hour (10:00 a.m.).
Why I Love Edward? – Edward takes a little time to warm to; whilst his humour and attitude to life is HILARIOUS his obsessive compulsive behaviour did become a little repetitive (although I realise that OCD is about being repetitive!). Once you get past the Dragnet episodes you are quickly transported into Edward’s view of the world and whilst it is quirky and slightly off-kilter it is also painfully honest and heartwarming. By the end of book 1 Edward had embedded himself deep under my skin and I instantly downloaded and devoured book 2 which didn’t disappoint – infact it made me love Edward even more if that was possible. I then had to wait 3 years until Edward Unspooled was published and boy oh boy it wasn’t until I started the book that I remembered why I love him and just how wonderful Edward is.
No 2.
The Man With No Name – Mystery Man – Colin Bateman
He’s the Man With No Name and the owner of No Alibis, a mystery bookshop in Belfast. But when a detective agency next door goes bust, the agency’s clients start calling into his shop asking him to solve their cases. It’s not as if there’s any danger involved. It’s an easy way to sell books to his gullible customers and Alison, the beautiful girl in the jewellery shop across the road, will surely be impressed. Except she’s not – because she can see the bigger picture. And when they break into the shuttered shop next door on a dare, they have their answer. Suddenly they’re catapulted along a murder trail which leads them from small-time publishing to Nazi concentration camps and serial killers…
Why I Love The Man With No Name? – I was persuing the airport bookshop on my way to my summer holiday 5 years ago and this book jumped out at me so I bought it not knowing what to expect. What I didn’t expect was to be laughing so loud the other holiday makers shushed me and started giving me strange looks. The main character (The Man With No Name) is utterly hysterical and paranoid and a hypochondriac and scared of literally everything that moves. There are 4 books in this series and each one gets more ridiculous and funnier and you find yourself rooting for this absurbly odd character as we follow him through his complicated life.
No 3.
Ove – A Man Called Ove – Fredik Backman
A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.
Why I Love Ove? – When I started A Man Called Ove I will admit initially to thinking “what the hell?” as Ove comes across as a rather awkward and grumpy old man, but it didn’t take long to “get” Ove and start to understand what this poignant and charming book was all about. He made me laugh out loud and cry at the same time and my heart broke into hundreds of pieces by the end. I just simply LOVED Ove and anyone with a heart and a sense of humour should love him too.
No 4.
Adam Bourne – Flowers for the Dead – Barbara Copperthwaite
ADAM WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY. EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU.
Adam Bourne is a serial killer who thinks he is a saviour. When he murders young women and cuts off their lips, he believes he has done it to make them happy.
How did he become warped from the sensitive four-year-old who adored his gran and the fairy tales she read to him?
Why I Love Adam? – Firstly it’s important to clarify that I don’t approve of serial killers! However Adam Bourne is rather special. Whilst his actions and behaviour is abhorrent and sick, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him and wanting him to find love. It’s obviously the skill of the author that brings Adam to life in a sympathic way and allows the reader to try to understand why he behaves the way he does without excusing his actions. I realise that this does question my taste in men slightly, but don’t judge me until you’ve met Adam.
No 5.
Serial Killer with No Name – Normal – Graeme Cameron
He lives in your community, in a nice house with a well-tended garden. He shops in your grocery store, bumping shoulders with you and apologizing with a smile. He drives beside you on the highway, politely waving you into the lane ahead of him.
What you don’t know is that he has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage. And the food that he’s carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he’s holding there against her will—one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her.
Why I Love Serial Killer with No Name – Considering this is a list of my 10 favourite characters, having 2 serial killers in this list now makes me question my own integrity, but you can’t help loving a man with a sense of humour and boy does he have a wickedly, dry sense of humour. Once again I don’t justify killing women and putting their body parts in the freezer between the joints of topside beef and the waitress from the Hungry Horse, but this book made me laugh and that’s a good thing isn’t it?
No 6.
Greg – The Memory Book – Rowan Coleman
Claire is a 40-something mother to Caitlin aged 20, a daughter from a previous relations and Esther aged 3. She’s now married to Greg, the man of her dreams, who is also the father of Esther. Claire has just been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease and this story tells us how she and her wonderful family tackle her condition as it progresses.
Why I Love Greg? – Well I can’t actually tell you why I love him so much without spoiling the book, so all I can say is that he is a wonderful, patient, loving father and husband who made my heart burst.
No 7.
Georg – Shtum – Jeremy Lester
Ben Jewell has hit breaking point. His ten-year-old son Jonah has severe autism and Ben and his wife, Emma, are struggling to cope.
When Ben and Emma fake a separation – a strategic decision to further Jonah’s case in an upcoming tribunal – Ben and Jonah move in with Georg, Ben’s elderly father. In a small house in North London, three generations of men – one who can’t talk; two who won’t – are thrown together.
Why I Love Georg? – We meet Ben’s elderly yiddish father, Georg, when Ben and his autistic son Jonah have to move in with Georg when Ben and his wife Emma split up. Georg is one of those characters who you instantly want as a friend/family member, his unique relationship with his grandson is beautiful, his loyalty and friendship with Maurice is heartbreaking, his quick wit and observations are wonderful and he is, in my opinion, the star of this book.
No 8.
Augustus Waters – The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.
Why I Love Augustus? – Where do I start with Augustus? In both the book version and the film version Augustus stole my heart and took my breath away. Not only is he a super cool dude, he is kind, considerate, loyal, thoughtful, compassionate, charming, and wonderful. This is one book (and film) that I sobbed throughout and Augustus is my hero.
No 9.
Deanna Madden – The Girl in 6E – Alessandra Torre
Deanna Madden, aka Jessica Reilly, hasn’t touched another person in three years. She hasn’t left her apartment.
She makes money from performing to webcams on a sex site, where her clients pay $6.99 a minute for her time. She’s doing alright. The dollars are piling up in the bank. She’s the number 3 model on cams.com.
And she hasn’t killed anyone for years.
Why I Love Deanna Madden? Firstly she’s a very funny person! Secondly, she is determined not to kill anyone and therefore has locked herself in her apartment where she performs sexual acts to webcams – now don’t judge me as once again my choice from serial killers to sex cam-girls could be considered slightly worrying, but believe me when I say there is so much more to Deanna than her career choice. She may come across as a force to be reckoned with, but underneath that sexy exterior is a very vulnerable, sad and lovely individual who deserves a “normal” life. I rooted for Deanna through all 3 books (Do Not Disturb and If You Dare) and that’s why she is one of my favourite female characters.
No 10.
Manny the wannabe gangster – Tall Oaks – Chris Whitaker
Welcome to Tall Oaks, a small town in America where nothing really happens until 3 year old Harry goes missing.
For fans of Twin Peaks and The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair, this brilliant debut is dark yet hilarious, suspenseful and sad.
Why I Love Manny? Even thinking about Manny now, weeks after I have finished the book brings a huge smile to my face. Possibly one of the funniest characters I’ve ever read about in a book about child abduction! Manny is a young man on the cusp of adulthood, trying to find his place in a small town, with a pottymouth that would offend a sailor, he is both politically incorrect and crude at the same time, yet loyal, loving and a caring son and big brother. He was the star of the book for me and I hope you agree too.
