This book should be renamed Woe is Me or Woe is Her because of the complex, disastrous and messy events in the main character's life.

She is Me has got too much packed into it -- adultery, same-sex marriages, love or the lack of it, the trials and tribulations of being married or being in a relationships and the intricacies of human interactions. It’s a story of three generations of three very strong, confident women. There’s Greta, a stereotypical California woman who runs a landscaping business. Her mother Lotte, an irascible woman is fighting cancer and Greta’s daughter, Elizabeth, who shows up at her Mom’s with son, clingy boyfriend and a big deal screenplay offer from a Hollywood bigwig.

While dealing with the central themes of mortality, sexuality and identity, the focal point of the novel is Elizabeth’s retooling of the Flaubert’s classic tale of Madame Bovary, which in turn highlights adultery.

She is Me is a stream of consciousness novel -- the plot progresses from the innermost thoughts of the women. Lotte is a live wire, and there are some intimate scenes between the women that are emotional. But unless you are a serious academic who cares about intellectual debates on adultery and are a fan of Madame Bovary, this book isn’t going to do much for you.