I detested this book. I enjoyed Foos' first book Ex Utero, but this book was too confusing. Foos' writing is marked by her ability to see the meaning in pop culture. That's what made Ex Utero so good. However, Portrait is a mess. It is about a young girl, the daughter of a famous artist, who is struggling with her own artistic desires. Her mother tries to quash her artistic talent by teaching her to bowl. However, it doesn't work and she becomes delusional (or not, I'm not sure) and loses her virginity to a walrus and somehow ends up becoming a writer. I just didn't get this book.