Outline

In art, tromp l’oeil—French for something that deceives the eye—refers to a hyper-realistic optical illusion. Traditionally, a tromp l’oeil creates the illusion of three dimensions on a flat surface, but the term now broadly applies to any illusion that confuses the viewer’s sense of reality. The tromp l’oeil is a recurrent motif in the novel, illustrating its preoccupation with the interplay between illusions and reality. 

When Faye glances at the photograph of the happy couple on the café window, she sometimes mistakes them for real people. The moment causes her fear and confusion, feeling like “the sight of them overpower[s] one’s own sense of reality” (50). The illusion bothers Faye not only because it disorients her but also because it makes her own reality seem lacking in comparison. The words that Faye uses to describe the illusion indicate this sense of lack: It makes Faye think that people can be “bigger and happier and more beautiful than you remember[] them to be” (50). Thus, the optical illusion also functions as a symbol for society’s mythmaking around happiness, success, and perfect appearances.

Anne, too, dislikes illusions, such as the realistic terracotta statue of the woman in Clelia’s apartment.