A review by lrb0135
Outline by Rachel Cusk

challenging reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I had to stew on this for a while after I read the book. It's packed with a lot of important, but subtly revealed information, giving us a faint "outline" of a narrator.

Some passages were so excellent, I had to sit and digest them for a while before continuing reading-- the biggest being when the narrator/protagonist recalls her infant sons dropping things from their chair. Cusk really has a way of squeezing fresh juice out of a small moment.

Perhaps I'll find out why once I read them, which I plan to, but I don't see a reason why the whole Outline trilogy couldn't just be one book. Outline itself didn't end on a cliff hanger per se, but felt like an incomplete thought. Either way, I'm looking forward to finding out.