A Discussion about Character Redemption

In my opinion, one of the most surprising and amazing feats that an author can accomplish is to completely alter my perception of a character who I've labeled as unredeemable. When an author makes me care for and sympathize with a character that I had previously loathed. 

I'm not talking about the bad boy/girl that you're warned not to trust, but know you're going to fall for anyway, because s/he has a good heart underneath the rough (but attractive) exterior.  I mean a character who has done something that is so unforgivable that you despise them. These are the characters that make you shudder when they come on screen, and if you're honest, you want to see them hurt as much as they've hurt everyone else. 

It is when your sympathy for these characters is at its lowest that the author begins to work her magic. Slowly by degrees, as you get to know these characters better, and they themselves begin to change through the events of the book, you find yourself understanding them a little bit. Then all of a sudden you start to like them. And most shocking of all, sometimes you fall deeply and madly in love with these characters. It's a very disconcerting feeling. 

I think one of the most fascinating and honest parts of a character redemption is the fact that there's no way to excuse their previous behavior. Even if they had a horrible upbringing and "didn't know any better" or it was in their "right" to act that way, they still made the choice to behave that way. No matter how you look at it, it is still awful. And if I go back and read the beginning of their story again, I get angry all over again.  But even though there's no forgetting what they've done, I've watched the people they've hurt forgive them, fall in love with them, trust them, respect them. That to me is the magic of a writer. 

Last year I read four series/books where an author completely changed my mind about a character that I initially had a very negative visceral reaction to. I'm  still amazed. 

NOTE: I tried to keep the descriptions under the titles as vague and spoiler free as possible, so as not to give anything away about the redeemed character. But if you're fearful of spoilers, don't read below the title. 

1) The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta
One of the characters in this book goes from someone with whom no woman should be left alone, to having one of the strongest personal codes of honor that I have ever seen. They are also someone that I would trust to keep me safe at any cost. 

2) The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner 
I feared and despised one of the characters in this book so much that every time they appeared in the book, I started shaking. Thankfully, Eugenides is a better judge of character than I am. 

3) Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me/Unravel Me)
I am still upset at this author for the transformation in this series. But darn it, I can't help but sympathize with the character in question. 

4) Sempre (Forever) by JM Darhower 
One of the themes of this book is whether someone can still be a good person when they do bad things. This question doesn't have an easy answer. But there is a moving scene at the end of this story, when the heroine forgives a person who hurt her. I think everyone could learn something from that girl.


Are you as amazed as I am by unexpected character transformations?

What other books have you read that have completely altered your perception of a character?