Edie

Edie is the narrator of the novel. She is 23 years old. She is full of contradictions and is never easy to understand, least of all to herself. She spends the better part of the novel attempting and failing to paint a successful self-portrait. Edie has a dark wit and a keenly honed sense of observational humor. She is extremely intelligent and sensitive, though she attempts to portray herself as tough and aloof.

Edie grew up in Latham, a small town in upstate New York. Her mother was a depressed former addict who longed for the excitement and adventure of her younger days. Her father had PTSD from the war. He was violent with Edie and her mother. He forced his wife into rehab and then brought her upstate to get married and have Edie. He spent most of his time at his church, where he seduced his female...