Book Discussion: Self-Portrait with Nothing

by Aimee Pokwatka

Pepper Rafferty has a very straightforward life. She’s a forensic anthropologist, who is married to her historian husband, Ike and helps out at her moms’ veterinary clinic. Her daily life has a routine. When Pepper discovers she is connected to the famous reclusive artist Ula Frost whose paintings are rumored to transport the subjects to and from alternate universes, she’s swept up in a major mystery. Who is Ula Frost? Can her paintings actually transport people? What is Pepper’s role in all of this? Is there an alternate Pepper living a better life? Ultimately this is a meditation on the many paths a person’s life can take and maybe happiness can be found in the life you already have.