Harriet, also known as “Harry,” is a widowed artist who has been ignored by the art world. She feels her work has been overlooked because of her gender. She decides to use three male artists, who will exhibit her work in their own name. The three exhibitions are highly acclaimed, and Harry, by revealing that she is the artist, attempts to demonstrate that the art world is prone to bias. However, things get complicated with the third artist, and Harry is once again sent back to oblivion. This novel, conceived as a documentary based on Harry’s diaries and interviews with those who knew her, presents a complex narrative about gender and identity through the eyes of an intelligent, resilient, and complex woman. Really profound and touching.
“We talked about our stories that afternoon, about self-deception, and Harry’s fury at her lot. Neither her family story nor cultural politics nor her temperament can explain what happened to her. There are clouds in all of us, and we give names to them, but the names make divisions that aren’t always there. There were storms inside Harry, whirlwinds and tornadoes that went their various destructive ways. Her suffering ran deep, and her suffering did not begin as an adult. I remember her standing in front of the mirror, tears streaming down her face. She was probably fifteen or sixteen. “I hate the way I look. Why did I turn out this way?”