Second Place

Rachel Cusk's Second Place tells the story of M, a  writer who extends an invitation to L, an artist whose work she greatly admires, to spend some time at a cottage on the marshland property where she lives with her quiet and accommodating husband, Tony. L hesitates at first but then arrives out of the blue with a young girlfriend in tow. M's daughter, Justine, and her boyfriend are forced to move into the main house. No one, including the two freeloaders, seems happy with the arrangement. The unspoken expectation is that the serene environment will provide L with the impetus to revive his stalled career and perhaps use M as the subject of his next masterpiece. L proves to be a very poor artist-in-residence. He and his girlfriend Brett are unpleasant to their hosts and L seems to bear a particular animosity toward M. In a purposeful act of cruelty L asks Tony to be his model. The battle of wills escalates and L becomes increasingly Satanesque, culminating in some particularly reprehensible and destructive behaviour. I found myself distracted by Cusk's musings on art and womanliness but quite enjoyed the novelly parts. Lastly, who the hell is this Jeffers to whom M directs her story? 

(I've read and reviewed four of Cusk's other books: Saving Agnes, The Country Life, Arlington Park and Outline)