A tale of two Charlottes, both with identity problems. The first is a model who has a horrific traffic accident, breaking every bone in her face. Reconstructive surgery leaves her attractive, but unrecognizable to her friends and acquaintances. The second Charlotte is the teenage daughter of a friend of the first, cruelly labeled by her friends, and going through a "coming of age" crises. Just about everyone in the novel is having problems of one type or another with who they are.
And that is part of the problem that I had with the novel. It seemed unfocused and rambling. There were a lot of characters and points of view - too many? It was a tiring novel to read, and I had to force myself to finish it.
From a craft perspective, Egan not only alternates between characters, but changes from first person to third person and back, something that is not quite as transparent and seamless as it should be. She starts with Charlotte the model in first person, then introduces Charlotte the teenager in third person, goes back to the model, this time in third person, introduces a confusing array of other characters in third person, and finally gets back to the first person narration of Charlotte the model. Confusing - and tiring.
And there is one character, the mysterious "Z", who is never tied up at the end. I hate dangling plot lines that are never resolved.
Other than that, there is a lot to be absorbed here - it was a finalist for the National Book Award.
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