I recently read Lolita and was really conflicted as to whether I liked it or not. In one sense it was an uncomfortable read but I found I couldn’t put it down. I see a lot of people saying that they hate it because Humbert is such a monster but surely that’s the point? Nabokov makes it such an uncomfortable read through putting it in first person; we are meant to slightly sympathise with Humbert (because of his unreliable narration) and then feel disgusted with ourselves. Combined with the ‘American Dream’/Academia/Psychological Thriller aesthetic it’s almost as much a mockery of society and its romanticisation of crime as The Secret History. This is even proven by Lolita’s resurgence in popular aesthetics and romanticisation.
I’m not sure we’re meant to slightly sympathise with Humbert. His voice is very compelling in the sense that you want to keep reading, but not at all in the sense that he’s charming or makes you root for him. He’s more Raskolnikov than Tom Ripley. There’s a visceral yuck factor - just very beautifully written yuck! According to Lolita Podcast, one of the assault scenes was based on Nabokov’s own experience as a child.
We get just enough glimpses of Dolores to make her the sympathetic character, and not just because she’s the victim. Her voice is as different from his as it’s possible to be and it’s very satisfying when it cuts through his pompous narration, and when she outwits him.