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A review by rromanereads
Aftermath: On Marriage and Separation by Rachel Cusk
4.0
aftermath (noun): the consequences or aftereffects of a significant unpleasant event.
in this humble, down-to-earth account, Cusk tells us about her separation from her ex-husband, the implosion of her family and the readjustment of her life. she speaks of her divorce as the extraction of a painful and compromised tooth, painful but necessary.
this book is like an intimate discussion with her, she puts into words the right, precise, calibrated and honest words about this period of her life, without really naming the whys and wherefores but rather stating the aftermath.
she puts words to things that are so impalpable, sinuous and hidden that we hadn't even realized they existed, but we find ourselves stunned by so much truth. her writing is exceptionally intelligent, and hits you right where it's sensitive, and you can't help but feel it. anyone who's been in a long-term relationship can see themselves in her words and the emotions she so aptly articulates.
cusk is one of the few authors with such literary prose that I'll be able to read over and over again. each of her works is a delicate pearl, perfectly balanced between anecdotes, metaphors and intimate thoughts. i really liked her essay-memoir works.
some of my favorite lines from a sea of underlined sentences:
“you could walk around in the sadness of her mouth and eyes, it was open to everyone”
“In the life of comportments lies the possibilities of unity, just as unity contains the prospect of atomisation”
“my mother may have been my place of birth, but my adopted nationality was my father’s”
in this humble, down-to-earth account, Cusk tells us about her separation from her ex-husband, the implosion of her family and the readjustment of her life. she speaks of her divorce as the extraction of a painful and compromised tooth, painful but necessary.
this book is like an intimate discussion with her, she puts into words the right, precise, calibrated and honest words about this period of her life, without really naming the whys and wherefores but rather stating the aftermath.
she puts words to things that are so impalpable, sinuous and hidden that we hadn't even realized they existed, but we find ourselves stunned by so much truth. her writing is exceptionally intelligent, and hits you right where it's sensitive, and you can't help but feel it. anyone who's been in a long-term relationship can see themselves in her words and the emotions she so aptly articulates.
cusk is one of the few authors with such literary prose that I'll be able to read over and over again. each of her works is a delicate pearl, perfectly balanced between anecdotes, metaphors and intimate thoughts. i really liked her essay-memoir works.
some of my favorite lines from a sea of underlined sentences:
“you could walk around in the sadness of her mouth and eyes, it was open to everyone”
“In the life of comportments lies the possibilities of unity, just as unity contains the prospect of atomisation”
“my mother may have been my place of birth, but my adopted nationality was my father’s”