Who Is Rachel Cusk’s New Book Really About?
The author’s latest novel goes a step further than the autofiction that made her famous.
Rachel Cusk's newest book, Life of M, appears to be an autofiction novel about an actor named M, who may be inspired by Natalie Portman. The story explores the blurred line between fiction and reality as the unnamed author attempts to write M's autobiography. The book's structure is unconventional, shifting between scenes that describe M's life and first-person plural sections that question the experiences shared between the author and M. Cusk's writing is formal and cold, emphasizing the differences between the author and M, with the author feeling "ugly" next to M. As the story progresses, the reader is left questioning the boundaries of truth and fiction in the narrative.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
