Jane Gibson

Jane Gibson is the main character of the novel. In the narrative present she is 46 years old. She is married to Lenny, with whom she has two children, Ruby and Finn. She works as “a nontenured faculty member at a B-level liberal arts college,” where she is applying for tenure (261). To secure this position, Jane must finish writing and publishing her second novel while she is on sabbatical. Her “first novel [was] not a bestseller, but it had received high praise from the critics,” giving Jane the confidence she needs to complete her sophomore title (9). However, Jane is in a creative rut. She has been working on Nusu Nusu for nearly 10 years and fears that she will never finish. She resolves herself to complete the project while she and her family are staying at her friend Brett’s house. They live in Los Angeles, but cannot afford...