Ratings16
Average rating4.1
"The stunning second novel of a trilogy that began with Outline, one of The New York Times Book Review's ten best books of 2015 In the wake of family collapse, a writer and her two young sons move to London. The process of upheaval is the catalyst for a number of transitions--personal, moral, artistic, practical--as she endeavors to construct a new reality for herself and her children. In the city she is made to confront aspects of living she has, until now, avoided, and to consider questions of vulnerability and power, death and renewal, in what becomes her struggle to reattach herself to, and believe in, life. Filtered through the impersonal gaze of its keenly intelligent protagonist, Transit sees Rachel Cusk delve deeper into the themes first raised in her critically acclaimed Outline, and offers up a penetrating and moving reflection on childhood and fate, the value of suffering, the moral problems of personal responsibility, and the mystery of change. In this precise, short, and yet epic cycle of novels, Cusk manages to describe the most elemental experiences, the liminal qualities of life, through a narrative near-silence that draws language toward it. She captures with unsettling restraint and honesty the longing to both inhabit and flee one's life and the wrenching ambivalence animating our desire to feel real."--
"Sequel to Rachel Cusk's Outline"--
Reviews with the most likes.
I'm very confused by this book.
I really loved Outline. It made sense even though its narrative style is the same: explorations of different characters and their mannerisms and stories as told to a third party, our protagonist.
Despite Outline being about someone traveling to teach in a new place, there was more consistency and connectedness in that book than in this one. The events of this book felt incredibly disjointed and random. I had a hard time following where our protagonist was going or what she was doing.
Then there's the ending... I didn't even realize it was coming. There's just nothing to follow here.
I don't know. I'm shocked by how different this feels next to Outline.
I didn't identify with this as much as I did Outline, but if I ever get divorced, I'll know to revisit this.
Series
3 primary books4 released booksOutline is a 4-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2014 with contributions by Rachel Cusk.
Featured Prompt
2,097 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...