Catherine

Catherine Cremnitz is the novel’s protagonist. She is heavily based on the author’s mother, who was also named Catherine Cremnitz. The novel’s Catherine appears to bear many personal and biographical traits with the real Catherine. Catherine was born in 1947 in Paris, France. Her mother was often emotionally abusive. Her father was abusive as well, but he soon divorced Catherine’s mother and was mostly absent from their lives. Catherine did not receive much formal education. Later in life, she regretted that fact and pursued additional education. Catherine studied ballet from a young age, but she was unable to pursue ballet professionally. One of her legs was shorter than the other, due to a childhood illness.

In adulthood, Catherine occasionally taught ballet to make money. She married for the first time in her late teens. A few years later, she left her first husband to marry...