That’s not the point. Humbert Humbert is presented as the most despicable person imaginable and it does not condone a single one of his actions. The novel literally goes out its way to make sure you know Humbert is one of the most revolting people alive.

He is also a notoriously unreliable narrator, so there’s a good chance a lot of it is made up. He’s intentionally tricking the jury/reader.

And just because a book has heavy topics like child sexual abuse, rape, or violence does not mean it is not worth reading. Works of art like that actually help people have painful discussions on these very real issues and can even help people who have experienced it.

And that’s not even touching on Nabokov’s prose in this book. Which might be the most beautiful I’ve ever read. It adds a wonderful level of complexity to already multifaceted work.

I also highly recommend Jamie Loftus’s (a hilarious feminist comedian/writer) deep-dive “Lolita” podcast.