Outline (novel)

Novel by Rachel Cusk

Outline

First edition (UK)

Author| Rachel Cusk
Language| English
Genre| Fiction
Publisher| Faber and Faber (UK), Farrar, Straus and Giroux (US)

Publication date

| 2014 (United Kingdom), 2015 (United States)
Pages| 256
ISBN| 978-0-374-22834-7
LC Class| PR6053.U825 O68 2015
Followed by| Transit

Outline is a novel by Rachel Cusk,[1] the first in a trilogy known as The Outline trilogy,[2] which also contains the novels Transit and Kudos. It was chosen by The New York Times critics as one of the 15 remarkable books by women that are "shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century."[3] The New Yorker has called the novel "autobiographical fiction."[4]

## Plot

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An English woman writer flies to Athens to teach a summer writing workshop. On the plane, she meets an older Greek bachelor[5] who tells her about his two failed marriages. The next day she meets with an Irish colleague from the writing school who also tells her his life story. In every chapter, the writer meets people and engages in long conversations on topics such as love, fiction, marriage, and intimacy.[6]

## Reception

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Upon release, Outline was generally well-received. According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on fifteen critic reviews with eleven being "rave" and two being "positive" and two being "mixed".[7] On The Omnivore, the book received an "omniscore" of 4.5 out of 5 based on critic reviews.[8] On Bookmarks March/April 2015 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a  (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "In sum: a new, daring way of crafting a novel".[9][10]

Outline was named one of The New York Times Top Ten books of 2015.[11] It made the 2014 shortlist of the Goldsmiths Prize,[12] the 2015 shortlist of the Folio Prize,[13] and the 2015 shortlist of the Bailey Women's Prize for Fiction.[14]

Outline was voted the 34th best book since 2000 by The Guardian.[15] In 2024, the New York Times named it the 14th best book of the 21st century.[16]

## References

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1. ^ "Outline | Rachel Cusk | Macmillan". US Macmillan. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
2. ^ "Macmillan: Series: Outline Trilogy". US Macmillan. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
3. ^ Garner, Dwight; Sehgal, Parul; Szalai, Jennifer (5 March 2018). "The New Vanguard". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
4. ^ Blair, Elaine (5 January 2015). "All Told". The New Yorker. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
5. ^ Garner, Dwight (6 January 2015). "An Appeal to Listen and Learn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
6. ^ Lasdun, James (3 September 2014). "Outline by Rachel Cusk review – vignettes from a writing workshop". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
7. ^ "Outline". Book Marks. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
8. ^ "Outline by Rachel Cusk". The Omnivore. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
9. ^ "Outline". Bookmarks. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
10. ^ "Outline". Bibliosurf (in French). 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
11. ^ "The 10 Best Books of 2015". The New York Times. 3 December 2015. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
12. ^ "The Goldsmiths Prize 2014". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
13. ^ Michel, Lincoln (9 February 2015). "The 2015 Folio Prize Shortlist". Electric Literature. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
14. ^ "Baileys Women's prize for Fiction announce 2015 shortlist". Women's Prize for Fiction. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
15. ^ Guardian Staff (21 September 2019). "The 100 best books of the 21st century". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
16. ^ "The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century". The New York Times. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.

*[LC Class]: Library of Congress Classification