Arrogance by Joanna Scott

I wish I had googled Egon Schiele before I read this book. His paintings are intriguing and surprising and would have helped me understand the book better. At any rate, I didn't really get into this book until I was almost halfway through it. Despite the finely executed writing in the novel, I kept falling asleep anytime I read it for longer than forty-five minutes. Which is all very strange since this is by no means a boring book. It's a story based on a fictionalized account of Egon Schiele, an Austrian painter who lived during the early 20th century. It's an unrelentingly grim book, that shifts narration and perspective between Egon Schiele and various characters closest to him. But perhaps the most intriguing voice is the first person narrator--a nameless young girl who has a brief, intense connection with the artist involving 4 days when she ran away from home and spent it with Egon and his lover, Vallie. She pops up every now and again and offers the redemption that Egon's character sorely needs. In the novel, Egon Schiele is frequently selfish, whiney and a sexual deviant who is in love with his sister and has a thing for children. Not the most endearing character you will meet. But the most interesting aspect of the book for me was the narration, the story weaves in and out through various characters and time periods that forms both the inspiration and justification for the art that Egon creates.