Change and Delusion

Can we humans change who we really are? The characters in this collection of 20 short stories - some mostly humorous and some mostly poignant - come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the characters, unsatisfied with who they are, consciously present a false image to others or unconsciously deceive even themselves. Other characters fully accept and even embrace their own fundamental natures, often after brief detours. Some others make earnest attempts to change who they are, with varying degrees of success. And still others transform unconsciously, for better or for worse. Is it possible to sense which people will meet which fates? In the final story, the characters from all the preceding stories meet each other for the first time at a "reunion." Hailing from different places, different cultural backgrounds, and even some different historical eras, and with a diverse array of personalities and insecurities, they clash at times. In the process they do some serious soul-searching. Have they really changed? Are either their self-images or the images they've presented to others realistic, or are they delusional? In the end the characters unite in a near-consensus, mocking and railing against the author for having portrayed them in an unflattering light. The author's few fictional defenders liken fiction writers to gods, to whom they owe their very existence. The reunion ends with a surprising twist.