Is Our Main Character Likable?

Discuss the June 2017 Book of the Month, Superhighway by Alex Fayman. Superhighway is the first book in the Superhighway Trilogy, so feel free to use this forum to discuss not only the first book but also the other books in the series.

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Heidi M Simone
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Is Our Main Character Likable?

Post by Heidi M Simone »

What are your thoughts about Alex? Is he likable? Not likable? What do you think about the way he spends money? Treats women? Overall, personality?
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Post by Spirit Wandering »

I think in many ways he is typical of a young man of his age. When you add in the ability to travel the internet, I wasn't surprised by the impulsive actions he took. Overall, though, I would say he is likable-not everyone would give away as much money as he did.
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Post by kandscreeley »

I don't know that I would classify him as not likable. I'm just not sure I could relate to him. I think maybe that's why I struggled so much with finishing the story. I just couldn't really relate to him as a character. Don't know if that makes sense.
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Post by Jaime Lync »

kandscreeley wrote:I don't know that I would classify him as not likable. I'm just not sure I could relate to him. I think maybe that's why I struggled so much with finishing the story. I just couldn't really relate to him as a character. Don't know if that makes sense.
I totally understand Kandscreeley. I liked Alex but I can see why people would find him hard to relate to - he is a little different than most even without the superpowers. I don't know how to describe it either.
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Post by Donnavila Marie01 »

Alex is likable. He is a perfect package, considering that he was raised outside a home. The only family he had, was Mrs. Jenkins.
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Post by Amagine »

I think he is likable only in the sense because the beginning of the story elicits sympathy for him. After learning about his circumstances and the rejection and abandonment he went through, you start to like and pity him. Besides that, no, he has no other redeemable traits.
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Post by Donnavila Marie01 »

I am actually intrigued by the character he portrays. I wonder if, in the third book of this trilogy, his whole personality will be revealed. I can't imagine how can he describe every detail of the procedures he went through the hands of the scientists around the world.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

I'm actually not a big fan of Alex. He's not mean-spirited, which is a good thing. In the beginning it's easy to sympathize with him. However, when looking at some of the choices he makes - stealing, spending millions on himself, does not tell Ms. Jenkins he's leaving while she gets the police involved to find him, jumping from one girl to the next, lying, etc. - the likability factor dwindles for me.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

I think that Alex is a complex person. At his age (18, right?), he still has a lot of growing up to do. I don't think his overall reactions to the circumstances thrown upon him with his powers, in such a quick way, are abnormal to someone his age. His desire to help others shows hope for the man he'll become in a few years.
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

CatInTheHat wrote:I think that Alex is a complex person. At his age (18, right?), he still has a lot of growing up to do. I don't think his overall reactions to the circumstances thrown upon him with his powers, in such a quick way, are abnormal to someone his age. His desire to help others shows hope for the man he'll become in a few years.
Yes, Alex is 18. Maybe...but, when I was 18, the thought of getting mixed up with dangerous people would never be alluring, but I guess this is fiction, so I can see your point. There is one big thing that bothers me - when someone is gravely affected by being associated with him, he seems to get over what happened fairly quickly. This piece is a bit disturbing for me and really hard to understand for any age... :eusa-think:
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Post by Azrevread »

I've only read the first few chapters of the book and the main character seems immature.
While the reader can sympathize with Alex because of his childhood problems, he still
seems irresponsible for someone his age. Based on what I've read, I think that the author
designed Alex to be a unique and memorable main character.
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Post by IsabelMay »

I don't find him very likeable but I guess that depends on the reader. He didn't quite behave according to age, only in some parts that were rare and I just couldn't relate to him. Despite his troubled background, for which he does get some sympathization, I feel like something was missing. In this story, I believe that the ''actions speak louder than words'' reflected his character.
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Post by CarrieMe »

I didn't find him likable at all, but honestly, I think the bigger problem is that he just wasn't very well-written. Except for when his first adoption experiences were described, there wasn't anything about him that made him feel like a real human being. Flawed characters, like Alex, can still be enjoyable to read about if they have depth to them. I just didn't see that here. Plus, I really got the sense that we were SUPPOSED to find him likable, which is even more of a problem.
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Post by Pm7lucas »

I think there is only one way to describe Alex....IMMATURE. He has no idea what he wants and changes his mind constantly. It was kind of annoying. I think the story would have been much better if Alex was older and more mature.

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Post by lolashoes »

He seems like a complex character but I think he's just acting like a guy his age; immature and impulsive.
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