I carried Rachel Cusk’s Second Place around with me for almost a week and it’s surprisingly way more accessible than I originally thought it would be. Even so, I wanted to take my time with it and I did.
An ode to the passage in which one crosses to get from reality to the “second place” art is able to access, this novel possesses a dream-like narrative captured by Cusk’s compelling prose. There is the primary theme of transformation elicited by the narrator’s personal encounter with art, and how said transformation directly affected her feelings of estrangement as a woman living with the realities of the world.
Cusk was also able to tackle, brilliantly might I add, contemporary issues that encompass concepts of marriage, male privilege, and inequality. It was a refreshing read for me and it did make me think about the ways I perceive the connection between life and art; and how that connection can either make or break human relationships and the way we relate to the world in general.
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