I don’t know about y’all, but I love a good book that realistically portrays narcissism. Not because I like narcissism, but because I love seeing it portrayed in a fictitious manner so that readers may recognize narcissistic traits in characters and then realize how toxic those traits are so that they don’t become victims of narcissists themselves. In this week’s post, I’ll be covering a few bookish examples of narcissists and why I think they are perfect portrayals of narcissism.

The Overt Narcissist: Hilly Holbrook from The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Hilly Holbrook is the main antagonist from Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel, The Help. In the book, Hilly is a member of high society who loves to inflict injustice on everyone who dares to disagree with her opinions or way of life. She is openly vain, proud, arrogant, and deceitful, which fits the definition of an overt narcissist.

How the Book Portrays Hilly’s Narcissism:

• Hilly is hypocritical (e.g. she is incredibly racist toward African Americans in her town, but she is determined to raise money for children in Africa).
• Hilly constantly uses triangulation to pit her “friends” against one another (e.g. she recruits her “friends” to turn against Celia Foote for no other reason than Celia married Hilly’s ex).
• Hilly often uses flying monkeys to do her bidding (e.g. without spoiling the ending, she uses a submissive friend to inflict intense pain on one of the main characters from the novel as “payback” for this person calling Hilly out on her racism and evil deeds).

Hilly Holbrook is definitely a fictional character who I love to hate. Like her, overt narcissists are often easy to spot, and we can all probably name someone in our lives who acts similarly to her; however, keep reading as we delve into less obvious examples of narcissism that are perfectly portrayed in books.

The Malignant Narcissist: Mr. Fowler from The Forgiving Kind by Donna Everhart

If you ever read The Forgiving Kind, this man will make your blood boil. True to the trademarks of a malignant narcissist, Mr. Fowler knows how to charm the right people and has no qualms about treating the ones who cannot or will not serve him as disposable. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants, leaving mass destruction in his wake.

How the Book Portrays Mr. Fowler’s Narcissism:

• Mr. Fowler charms his way into a getting what he wants (e.g. he exploits a family during their lowest moment for his personal gain).
• Mr. Fowler uses his resources to manipulate others (e.g. he love bombs one character to get in their good graces, effectively creating a wedge in the family when other family members begin to recognize Fowler’s harmful behavior).
• Mr. Fowler feels no remorse for harming others (e.g. he becomes violent with others who cannot defend themselves).
  • Trigger warning: these scenes are very hard to read. I recommend this book for ages 18+ due to the content and language.

There are far, far more examples of just how vile Mr. Fowler is in this book, and though it’s hard to read about all of the things he does, I think he provides a stellar example of how narcissists target and abuse their victims to get what they want.

The Covert Narcissist: Mother Wells from When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

A covert narcissist is someone who has a sense of entitlement, is self-seeking, but who makes themselves out to be humble in public settings. In reality, they are highly critical of those closest to them, lack empathy, and are never satisfied.

How the Book Portrays Mother Wells’s Narcissism

Because all that Mother Wells did in this book is not fresh in my mind and I want to avoid spoilers for how the book ends, I won’t be listing out bulleted points for this one. Honestly, I’m not 100% sure if she fits the very definition of a covert narcissist (she may be more malignant) but from what I recall, she was great at camouflaging her true intentions to those in high society who could help boost her to that societal rank, if that makes sense. This woman goes so far as to inflict physical harm on herself to manipulate a situation, and it was shocking to read! Despite my lack of details here, if you’re looking for a clean or Christian read that perfectly portrays narcissism, Mother Wells from When the Day Comes is a narcissistic character you won’t soon forget.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

What books have you read that feature a perfectly portrayed narcissist? Let me know in the comments!

Are you interested in more posts like this? I’m thinking of compiling a list of toxic families portrayed in books for a future post.

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀