Favorite Fictional Character --- Harriet Baxter

Today's Favorite Fictional Character post has me in a bit of a quandary.  The character I'm wanting to share with you guys is from one of my favorite books of 2012, or all time for that matter.  I still remember finishing Gillespie & I by Jane Harris, and feeling this overwhelming need to tell every single living soul about it.  It is an amazing book, with an even cooler "protagonist", and I really can't fathom why any of wouldn't have read it by now.

By know you are probably trying to figure out what the hell my problem is, so I'll tell you.  When I wrote the review back in 2012, a lot of it was what I thought of Harriet Baxter, the main character of the book.  She is what made this book so great, so it was impossible for me to really review the book, without talking about her.  For the last few hours, I've been trying to figure out if there was something else I could say about her, improve upon what I wrote a few years ago.  After trying it a few times, I came to the conclusion that I really can't say anything new, or reword it in a way that made sense in the end.  I didn't really want to re-purpose what I wrote earlier, and I even went on Facebook to see if anyone would think it's cheating.  After getting a few opinions and realizing that I just can't improve upon perfection, I had to conclude that I'll just use what I wrote then, and hope it convinces you guys to discover her for yourself.

What can I say about our "heroine" of the piece, Harriet Baxter?  I could say she has a gift for words.  I could even say that she is extraordinary in her storytelling capability.  I may even mention that she is secure within herself and knows exactly how you and I should see her.  After all, I'm pretty darn sure it's the way she sees herself as well.  Now Harriet would tell you that she is a compassionate human being who just wants the best for those around her.  I think she may even mention selfless, kind, a good friend, and she may even bring up that she misses having a father figure in her life.  Now you may only get that last part out of her if she is in a sentimental mood.

What I'm pretty sure Harriet won't mention is that she's delusional, egotistical, manipulative, cunning, has the intelligence of a sociopath, and for all intensive purposes is probably a murderess, though indirectly.  Now does that make Harriet a bad person?  I would have to say yes.  What I would also have to say is that I loved every minute spent in her company.  I think in the back of her head, she knows exactly what kind of person she is, and she loves it.  She is, despite everything bad she has ever done, one of the coolest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet and I would love to hang out with her.  I have never loved such a horrible person more than I do her.

Now I know that Harriet is the one narrating this story and that there is no way she would have said of the comments I included in the last paragraph.  Instead, and I think against her will, she sprinkles the clues to her true personality throughout the book.  For every once in a while when Harriet is describing an encounter with another character or her behavior in a particular situation, you get the impression that not everything is what she's saying it is.  Harriet herself has no problem mentioning a negative reaction she gets from someone, but she has her own spin on it.  Sadly for her, all those incidents end up adding up.  It doesn't take long to realize that Harriet isn't being as truthful as she could be.

Just let me know if you guys read this book, I really want to know what you think of dear Harriet.