Life of M by Rachel Cusk Review
Rachel Cusk's novel Life of M explores the life of a celebrated film actor, M, and her struggles with fame and authenticity. The book is a thought-provoking examination of the intersection of appearance and reality in the age of social media. While Cusk's prose is sharp and spare, the novel's impact is sometimes diminished by its detachment and lack of emotional resonance.
The novel Life of M by Rachel Cusk is a fascinating exploration of the life of a celebrated film actor, M. M's career closely resembles that of Natalie Portman, with her first film having its sex scenes cut at her mother's insistence, and her ballerina movie being recognisably similar to Black Swan. The narrator of the novel, who is nameless and genderless, suggests writing M's autobiography, but this idea is quickly dispensed with.
The Blurred Lines of Reality and Appearance
The novel raises important questions about the nature of reality and appearance in the age of social media. M is determined to live a normal life, but the narrator is aware of the falseness of their interactions with her. The novel is structured as a series of episodes from M's life, intercut with observations from the narrator's own experiences. The descriptions of place and setting are meticulous, with a focus on the texture of the artificial wood floor in a five-star hotel suite, and the layout of a luxury villa in Greece.
The Corrosive Effect of Fame
Cusk's novel is a powerful examination of the corrosive effect of fame on family relationships and personal identity. The narrator writes with crisp acuity about the frictionless existence of the celebrity, and the blend of fervent purity and crushing cynicism that delimits a person forged in the forcefields of power and pretence. The novel is at its best when it explores the particular details of M's life, such as a flaming sunset reflected on a switched-off television screen, or a room in a museum meticulously curated to give the impression of a lived-in space.
The Role of the Narrator
The narrator of Life of M is a mirrored surface, reflecting M's celebrity and the illusion of her fame. The novel begins with a first-person singular narrator, but quickly morphs into a plural "we" that sometimes represents the narrator and their partner, and sometimes a more public "we". This narrative device is puzzlingly specific, and it is not always clear what these parts add to the whole. The prose in these sections has an epigrammatic absolutism that is occasionally brilliant, but more often puzzlingly specific.
The novel Life of M is a thought-provoking examination of the intersection of appearance and reality in the age of social media. While Cusk's prose is sharp and spare, the novel's impact is sometimes diminished by its detachment and lack of emotional resonance. The book is a formidable intelligence and shaped with exceptional technical skill, but it is not always clear what the narrator's reflections add to the whole. Ultimately, Life of M is a book to admire enormously, but not one to love.
