This week, I “absorbed” Rachel Cusk’s Outline.
Let me set the scene: I was on a short trip to Rhode Island this summer, and I’d read through the books I packed on vacation. I googled the nearest bookstore and decided I would not be looking at my “Tailored Book Recommendations” (TBR), but instead, I’d choose a book based purely on vibes.
In short, I judged a book by its cover.
I picked up Rachel Cusk’s Transit and quickly engulfed its contents. I got so hooked that I even got a sunburn on the beach while I was reading. I finished it, took a dip in the ocean, and realized that something was missing. The book was great—though it lacked a bit of context—and I was thrown off the deep end.
Enter Outline (yes, I read the second book in the trilogy before the first). Just like its successor, I read it in one sitting. And let me tell you, it hit just the right spot and put the context I needed in place.
Set in Agros, Greece, this book follows writer Faye as she travels to the Grecian seaside to teach a week-long college writing course over the summer. Beginning with a riveting conversation on her flight to Greece, this book is divided into 10 conversations she has with various people during this trip. Each blip moves her trip (and life) forward as she explores divorce, motherhood, glamor, and delicious food.
This novel is quite disorienting, but that’s a compliment. The cover is gorgeous, the writing is fast, and the characters are outrageous. Outline is the perfect beach read, and even better suited than Transit was. There is one more novel in this trilogy titled Kudos, and I feel like I’m obligated to read it as soon as possible.
Naturally, I must be a dork and gush about the details of the book itself.
The inside cover page is the same peachy pink you’d find on the inside of a sea shell, confirmed by the stately conch pictured on its cover. The book is sleek, with mute colors that make it aesthetically pleasing. On the contrary, Transit had a mosquito being captured in a plastic cup on its cover. Because of this, I am honestly surprised I chose that book over Outline during my blind selection. I’ll never know what I was thinking.
Overall, this book received a 5/5 on Goodreads—which is quite surprising considering I’ve given so many books a 5 recently. I swear, I hardly ever do that, but I guess good books are calling to me these days!
Thank you for “absorbing” with me, friends. see you next time!
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