Above all, as its title suggests, Self-Portrait With Boy is a smart novel about the narcissistic ambition that's needed to succeed, especially in the art world, especially in New York.

Rachel Lyon discusses her novel "Self-Portrait With Boy," which traces the thorny implications of a photograph in the life of a young woman, and the sometimes tricky border between life and art.

Topic Studios ("Leave No Trace") has bought rights to Rachel Lyon’s debut novel "Self-Portrait With Boy" and plans to develop the project.

Lu Rile, the photographer at the center of Rachel Lyon’s intriguing debut novel, “Self-Portrait with Boy,” isn’t so sure. Rile knows she’s captured lightning when she develops the film ...