I can't take it anymore—Nevare must die!

I've mentioned in the past that I have a love/hate relationship with the writer Robin Hobb. It's just that her main characters—male that is—are just plain stupid. I read Shaman's Crossing and true to form, it was too long and the main character Nevare is a dolt. But could I leave well enough alone and not read the next book? No, I had to buy it. I can't stand not finishing a series or book even if I don't like the characters. Case in point, The Kite Runner. Great writing but I just obsoletely hated the mealy-mouthed main character Amir. You would think after getting beaten up rescuing his nephew he would get a backbone, but nope, not him. Right to the end he's a weasel. But I digress...this is how much of a dolt Nevare is. While a cadet in the Cavalla (calvary) he's at a carnival freak show he meets this extremely fat man. The man tell him he used to be a Cavalla officer until he was exposed to the Speck plague and started gaining weight. This is not the norm, it's usually a wasting disease so you would think the conversation would stick in his head. That night all the cadets are exposed to the plague and after recovering he starts gaining weight. But, and I find this hard to believe, he can't understand why he's so fat!! I'm not kidding. Then in the blaze of knowledge he remembers the conversation with the fat man and thinks, could that be what's happening to me? His answer, nah! Just a coincidence. What a dolt! So the book is still sitting on the night table next to my bed with only a few chapters read and I can't take it. I want to finish it but I don't want to at the same time. It's like a siren's call.