Summary

The novel’s prologue takes place in 1985. The titular Fang family consists of Caleb and Camille (husband and wife) and their two children (Annie and Buster.) Annie is eight years old, and Buster is six. Caleb and Camille are performance artists. Their performances essentially consist of making public disturbances. The prologue follows the family as they make a public disturbance in a mall. They pretend to be strangers. Camille pretends to try to steal candy. She spills the candy on the floor of the store, and the other family members increase the chaos of the incident, all with preplanned actions. Camille and Caleb have gained relative fame in the art world for these performance pieces. Chapter 1 takes place in the year 2007. Annie is now about 30 years old and is a fairly famous actress. She was even nominated for an Academy Award a few years...