Why do authors give their characters unpronouncable names?

[HookedOnHooking]

Harry Quebert I'm looking at you.

Why? Why don't they just call them Smith or Jane?

And how do I pronounce Quebert?

Kuh-Bear?

or cue-bert?

[FirstOfficerDouglasRichardson]

Like Quebec but ert instead of ex? The t might be silent.

[KurriKurri]

I know - I feel the same about Susan Hill's Simon Serailler.

I'd go for Kuh-bear or even Kwuh-bear - but no idea really.

[NoArmaniNoPunani]

I'd go with Pubert

[DidoTheDodo]

I'd go for Koo-ber. Or just Harry.
Perhaps it is meant to be memorable?

[Titsalinabumsquash]

Que - burt, I know a child with the name and his mum pronounces it like that ^

[PHANTOMnamechanger]

Hyacinth Bucket = Bouquet, so applying the reverse principal Quebert = Cupboard

[cardibach]

Doesn't matter. Call him Eric if you like - you're in charge, you're the reader!

[eminthebigsmoke]

Haha phantom! It took me a few attempts to get started on the master and margarita because all of the names are so long and similar sounding.

[BellMcEnd]

Yes Kurri! I agree about Simon. DM is a linguist and says it's Suh-Ray-Ler.

DS1 is reading Harry Potter at the mo and thinks the main female character is called Heramine Gran-ger (hard Gs)

[LookingForDave]

Yes! Simon!
My (delightful and usually bright) friend thought it was Her-Me-Own.

[tea4two4three]

Bell I can't believe he is struggling with the surname and not the first name, impressive! I thought it was pronounced Her-me-one until the movies were released and I was in my late teens when the fist book was released.

[tea4two4three]

Ooops! posted at the same time as Dave and now I feel stupid and uncultured. I hope my friends still see me as delightful, regardless :-/

[KurriKurri]

BellMcEnd - that's a very logical mistake though by your DS (rhymes with anger)

Thank your DM for me for Serrailler - I was mentally pronouncing it Suh-ray-ler, then someone told me they thought it should be 'Se-ray-yay' (or noise to that effect !) and I lost confidence

[BellMcEnd]

Tea - I was the same with a pony book I read as a teenager. The lead character was called Chloe which is clearly pronounced "Ch - low"

[BellMcEnd]

Ah yes Kurri! I'd not thought of the granger - anger link. Makes perfect sense now. I think HP, while fab, does challenge them with the names / words etc. Prob not a bad thing though

[DisconcertedAndRetired]

I sometimes got the impression while reading Dostoevsky that he arbitrarily switched between the surname and the patronymic, i.e. referred to the same person by two different names. I suppose it's unlikely he was careless, but the names in Russian novels often become a blur in my mind, so that I sometimes struggle to connect someone in the present scene with their history.

(Maybe he referred to them by one name, and characters in direct speech used the other, confusing the hell out of me?)

[MsCake]

In Russian referring to someone by their surname or patronymic implies different registers, tones.... like the difference between Mr Cameron, David Cameron, and Daveykins. It definitely wasn't carelessness!

[DeidreChambersWhatACoincidence]

Lol My dd is a keen reader but she was telling me a while back about an author she liked with the first name of (can't remember the surname) 'Why-Vone' .

It took me a while to realise she meant the woman's name is Yvonne

[iklboo]

Not names, exactly, but at school we had to read a passage from a favourite book. My friend chose James Herriot's All Creatures Great And Small. She kept reading about 'peckies'. When I later read the book myself I realised she was referring to Pekingnese dogs - shortened to Peke (peaks).

[WanderWomble]

Hello, author here. None of my characters have awkward or unpronounceable names.

[HookedOnHooking]

Thank you Womble. I'll buy your books and enjoy knowing who they are about.

I just can't seem to bond with someone whose name I can't say.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Kweh Burt surely?

Que as in Question. Burt.

[CoddledAsAMommet]

Keep going-there's an explanation of how to pronounce Quebert about one third in. I really enjoyed the book. ( you don't pronounce the T)

[GreatAuntDinah]

Québert is a French surname so would be pronounced kay-bear.

[GreatAuntDinah]

And Serailler is presumably French in origin too so should be Saire-rye-eh.