Jenny Singer, Glamour 'Whatever it is we want from, Second Place delivers in spades. There is mayhem surprising sweetness and brilliant observations tumble from every page.' In this quiet but thrilling novel, based on a real-life vignette, she focuses on a middle-aged woman-a writer, a mother, a spouse-who is desperate to be seen by a male artist whom she invites to stay as a summer houseguest. John Powers, NPR FRESH AIR 'Rachel Cusk, the author of the Outline series, is one of the most precise analysts of human behavior. writes with a knife-thrower's precision and showmanship.' Where those crystalline novels were largely plotless and had the chilly burn of dry ice, this fascinating book finds her moving in a messier new direction. Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by: Buzzfeed, Vogue, O, Elle, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, BookPage, The Millions, Lit Hub, The Seattle Times, Esquire, New Statesman, Paperback Paris, The Week, Town and Country 'Cusk grapples with spirit in Second Place, her first novel since the Outline Trilogy, which is one of the great fictional achievements of the new millennium. It reminds us of art's capacity to uplift-and to destroy. Second Place, Rachel Cusk's electrifying new novel, is a study of female fate and male privilege, the geometries of human relationships, and the moral questions that animate our lives.

But as a long, dry summer sets in, his provocative presence itself becomes an enigma-and disrupts the calm of her secluded household. Powerfully drawn to his paintings, she believes his vision might penetrate the mystery at the center of her life.

A woman invites a famous artist to use her guesthouse in the remote coastal landscape where she lives with her family. A haunting fable of art, family, and fate from the author of the Outline trilogy.

Second place rachel cusk