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A review by baielleebooks
Second Place by Rachel Cusk
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Second Place poses the human relationship to freedom in a powerful way. The personal binds and limitations the main character acknowledges and enacts upon herself spurred my imagination, and more fully formed my understanding of what it means to be a person.
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The narrative exploring the false idolatry of the artist, and the desperate desire to see yourself wholly through the eyes of another were also extremely interesting to attend to with Cusk's writing.
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The main character truly was a bundle of neuroses, and at times I found this very stylistically crafted and at others, I felt a real streak of self-indulgence. Was this as Cusk intended I wonder?
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What I'd maybe critique the book on is some of the observations of the main characters' relationships being overly deterministic? I particularly felt that in the main character's relationship with her daughter Justine, as if there was something significant missing inbetween their timeline together. I'd extend that to a desire for the pacing of the book to be slowed a wee bit, as some of the themes and events in the book didn't feel as if they had sufficient time to penetrate.
-
The blurb really drew me in initially, and I come out the other side of the novel with a quiet set of reflections and respect for Rachel Cusk's unique and sparing form of writing.
-
The narrative exploring the false idolatry of the artist, and the desperate desire to see yourself wholly through the eyes of another were also extremely interesting to attend to with Cusk's writing.
-
The main character truly was a bundle of neuroses, and at times I found this very stylistically crafted and at others, I felt a real streak of self-indulgence. Was this as Cusk intended I wonder?
-
What I'd maybe critique the book on is some of the observations of the main characters' relationships being overly deterministic? I particularly felt that in the main character's relationship with her daughter Justine, as if there was something significant missing inbetween their timeline together. I'd extend that to a desire for the pacing of the book to be slowed a wee bit, as some of the themes and events in the book didn't feel as if they had sufficient time to penetrate.
-
The blurb really drew me in initially, and I come out the other side of the novel with a quiet set of reflections and respect for Rachel Cusk's unique and sparing form of writing.