Eryn from Between Roses isn’t likable. She was never meant to be. You don’t even have to like her by the end of it.
The risk of having an unlikable character like Eryn is that I could start writing a character that goes too far into unlikable territory and make everyone hate her.
So, there’s a scene where her mean bff is saying that Eryn’s grandma having dementia is Grandma’s problem and that Eryn should not feel sorry for Grandma. She should be mad at Grandma for ruining her life and making Eryn have to cancel plans with the friend.
I used to have a scene where Eryn kind of disagrees with her friend, but it wasn’t enough for readers to find her tolerable. They found her to be a horrible person and wouldn’t read on.
This had to change. I added in Eryn’s true thoughts. While she says sure, fine, I’ll do what you say, friend, she thinks it’s ridiculous to say her life sucks because of Grandma. Eryn decides she blames dementia and not Grandma. If Grandma didn’t have dementia then everything would be fine.
Readers responses were that they hate the selfish friend. Some said they understand what dementia can do to a family, and so understand where Eryn might be coming from.
So, if you play it right, you can get people to understand your unlikable Aeris and that can be engaging for readers. Showing a scene or two of moments where you see or hear a deeper side of Aeris can help people understand why she is the way she is. It will be enough for readers to read on (engagement).
Grumpy and unfriendly Ove, in A Man Called Ove, is an unlikable character, but you get to see scenes of a deeper side of him and you begin to understand why he is the way he is. I didn’t like him at first, but the author knew that many people who find him intolerable and immediately gave hints into a deeper side of Ove early on. That made me adore the character and want to know more about him.