One of the most talked about literary releases of the week, nay the year, is “Life of M”, the new novel by critically acclaimed and award-winning British author Rachel Cusk.
Known for her novels “The Lucky Ones”, the Outline Trilogy (“Outline”, “Transit” and “Kudos”), “Second Place”, as well as the Goldsmiths Prize-winning book “Parade”, Cusk’s name isn’t one you’d expect to be associated with headline-grabbing controversy or gossip.
Still, here we are and all anyone can talk about is the buzz around “Life of M” - specifically: Is the titular M a fictionalised version of Natalie Portman?
The novel, billed by its publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, as a “blazing interrogation of fame, power, beauty and truth”, has got literary sleuths wondering whether it’s a not-so-thinly-veiled and unflattering portrait of the Oscar-winning actress.
“Life of M” follows an unnamed writer who wishes to use a famous actress, M, as a source of inspiration for her next literary project. The writer chronicles the A-lister's life and portrays “one of the most recognisable faces of our time” as a dispassionate and self-righteous person who puts on a relatable facade to mask the poseur within.
