Intrusions - Ursula Hegi

From a craft point of view, this novel is a really interesting read. I read Stones from the River quite a while ago and remember loving it, so I thought I would take on another novel by Hegi. WELL, this one is quite different. First of all, it has 169 chapters! This is because the main characters (a married couple, Megan and Nick) are constantly "intruding" on the author's attempt to complete her book. Megan is undergoing a bit of an early mid-life crisis (she's only 30) - attempting to deal with her mother and grandmother, evaluating their life choices, and evaluating the state of her marriage. In the meantime, the author's children, husband and lack of motivation are competing for her attention, as are the constant interruptions of her characters as they argue with her plot choices for them and insist that certain decisions aren't true to their characters. While not much actually "happens", the book is worth reading in a sort of esoteric way and is a worthwhile addition to a collection of books on writing, the creative process, or the intersection of fiction and reality. I found myself wondering to what degree the book's author was Hegi herself - in other words, how far removed was Hegi from the "fiction" of her novel? This is a good book to discuss with a group.