Identity

The novel explores the idea of fluid identity through the character of Esther, who is unsure of who she is and who she wants to be. Throughout her whole life, Esther has been a responsible and good-natured girl that enjoys children and painting landscapes. But, when she meets a radical artist named Everett who dumps her because she is not a true artist, she takes it upon herself to transform into someone that Everett would love. She tries to create an art project involving Tevas sandals that Everett might be proud of, but it fails spectacularly. Through this failure, Esther realizes that she is not good or gritty enough to be a true artist. And so she decides to go back home to LA to be with her mother, the woman who is least like Esther in all the world, so that she can begin a...