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.

In Transit (2016), the second novel of the trilogy, London is the scene of the action. The novel begins with Faye receiving an astrology email predicting “a major transit” in her sky. Even though Faye knows that the email is spam, she pays to download its report, thus restarting Outline’s exploration of illusion versus reality. Faye gets remodeling done on the dilapidated house that she bought in London, deals with builders and complaining neighbors, teaches writing classes, meets friends, and goes on dates. As in Outline, Faye rarely dwells on her own life, presenting the narrative as her account of other people, such as the builders Tony and Pavel and her ex-boyfriend Gerard. Her narrative voice remains self-effacing, featuring long stretches of dialogue by the other characters. However, Faye herself is neither self-effacing nor passive as she conducts a busy life as a writer, teacher, and single mother. Thus, in Transit, Faye as the self-effacing writer-self separates from Faye the dynamic character. 

Kudos (2018), the final book of the trilogy, lands Faye on the main European continent once more. Featuring the trilogy’s focus on patterns and doubles, Faye yet again finds herself next to a chatty neighbor on the flight to an unnamed city in an unnamed country in Europe. Faye is in the city to attend a literary festival; therefore, her encounters mostly feature writers, intellectuals, and publishers.

The subject of storytelling, the declining relevance of literature, and the role of women in a male world are the key themes in Kudos. The final novel brings Faye the character and Faye the writer-self in contact with a larger world, examining how these beings cope in this setting. The narrative conventions of the first two books continue here, with the plot unfolding episodically as the stories of various characters. Humorously, even a series of interviews that are supposed to feature Faye end up with the journalists talking about themselves. 

The series’ motifs of doubles, patterns, and mothers and children play out in Kudos as well: Though the novel is located nearly a decade after Outline, calls from Faye’s son punctuate the novel. As in Outline and Transit, Faye is named only once in Kudos. Ryan’s character returns in Kudos, now a successful writer of commercial fiction. Ryan’s success poses the question of whether Faye’s approach to writing and selfhood is relevant in a changed world.