 Nan 's experiences eventually reveal serious faults of the society she moves through , the primary element of a picaresque novel . For this and other reasons , Waters ' books are frequently compared to stories by Charles Dickens ; the reader follows Nan 's movement from sheltered naif to exuberant theatre performer to rent @-@ boy to mistress to housewife then socialist orator , showing allegiance to none of these professions or ideals . Michael Upchurch in The Seattle Times writes that Nan 's inability or unwillingness to adhere to any profession or setting , remaining malleable until the end of the novel indicates she is her own worst enemy . Likewise , Marianne Brace in The Independent considers Nan selfish and unsympathetic . 
