Outline isn't a new book - it came out in 2014 - but the third book in the trilogy, Kudos, was released a few months ago and the fascinating reviews made me want to read Cusk in general and this trilogy in particular. Outline is a novel but it's told in an unconventional way: the narrative takes the form of ten conversations that the main character has with acquaintances and strangers over the course of traveling to Athens and teaching a week-long writing class. There's not plot in any standard sense, and the main character herself is a cipher - we barely know her name - revealing herself only in her responses to other people's stories.It's the kind of concept that could turn out very well or very badly in execution, and in this case I was delighted to find that it turned out very well. Despite the lack of narrative thrust, Cusk's lovely, precise writing kept me turning the pages; she paints extremely clear pictures of small details and seemingly random vignettes. And all the stories told to the main character are, of course, thematically related: taken together they comprise a fascinating examination of writing and marriage and family relationships and identity.
One of my good friends reads a lot more historical romance than I do, which is great for me, because when I'm in the mood I can just get recommendations from her and not have sift through for quality myself. She told me to read this one because it starts with the heroine correcting the hero's math, and that is basically my IDEAL meet-cute. And this did not disappoint - it had a smart, nerdy heroine, in a way that didn't feel anachronistic, and a complicated hero who had to work through his issues. Plus a heist! Sort of! I don't want to spoil but that part toward the end was DELIGHTFUL.
