Second Place

2022 Longlist

A woman invites a famed artist to visit the remote coastal region where she lives, in the belief that his vision will penetrate the mystery of her life and landscape. Over the course of one hot summer, his provocative presence provides the frame for a study of female fate and male privilege, of the geometries of human relationships, and of the struggle to live morally between our internal and external worlds. With its examination of the possibility that art can both save and destroy us, Second Place is deeply affirming of the human soul, while grappling with its darkest demons.

About the Author/Translator

Rachel Cusk is the author of the Outline trilogy, the memoirs A Life’s Work and Aftermath, and several other works of fiction and non-fiction. Her novel Saving Agnes won the Whitbread first novel prize and Second Place was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021.. She is a Guggenheim fellow and currently lives in Paris. Outline, Transit and Kudos were longlisted for the DUBLIN Literary Award in 2016, 2018 and 2020 respectively.

Librarian’s Comments

It is a story about human relationships, about the fate of men and women, in the atmosphere of art. National Library of Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein