From Humbert Humbert to Dorian Gray to Oscar Wao, literature has long embraced complicated, unique, even unpleasant male characters. The ladies are now increasingly getting their turn, as contemporary literary fiction books headline female protagonists who don’t try to earn our affection. This class will examine two complicated women in two exemplary novels: Orchid & the Wasp by Caoilinn Hughes and If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim.