This is not a typically perfect story. It is actually a very broken and disturbing story - that's why it is so damn human. We might not wish to identify with it, but we cannot reject that in its core, the events of the story mirror facets of our lives. No problem is ever completely resolved, no heart ever fully heals, and no trauma is fully washed away. Life is like spilt coffee, it leaves a stain. Human beings enjoy watching one another stumble, but also empathize with the broken-hearted. Human beings are capable of apathy, but also empathy - and that's why 'Explaining Art' is an intriguing read because it confuses and pulls the reader into it without strictly defining the reader's involvement or indifference. The story, is really just about Isabelle. You don't have to like her, or hate her. You don't have to know if she's right, or wrong. Thinking and questioning is natural, but you don't have to force it. You don't have to analyse it and let logic come into play - Explaining Art is not math, it is about people and emotions, and it is very real.