In universe I mean, not by the reader. I remember the few times I saw stories like that were fairly… cringe; the MC was usually a loner and the people didn’t have a good reason to hate him, if any at all!
But when there is a reason, whether it would be something they did in the past or being bad in the present? I love the drama and conflict potential. Does anyone know a book like this?
I know it’s not quite the same, but Song of the Beast by Carol Berg is kinda like this. The book starts after the main character is released from a 20 year prison sentence and he’s trying to find out why he was in there in the first place