Outline

Outline is the first book in a trilogy that examines the art of storytelling, the boundary between narrator and narrative, and the concept of the effacing self. The trilogy pursues these questions through the vehicle of Faye, a London-based writer and single mother of two boys who is trying to rebuild her life in the aftermath of a bitter divorce. The divorce constitutes an existentialist crisis for Faye: Not only does it end her marriage, but it also undoes the person she had become during the marriage. 

To regain her sense of self, Faye embarks on a journey of self-effacement in writing: She talks little, travels a lot, and listens to people telling their stories instead of her own. In the process, Faye obliquely reveals her own character and her journey to a new selfhood. In Outline, Faye has been separated for three years from her husband but only recently moved from the family home in the country to London. The move signals that after a period of stasis, Faye has begun the process of adapting to a new reality. As the title suggests, Faye is creating an “outline” for a new self that can cope with the change.