Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series?"

"There are four books in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series, published between 2001 and 2019."

Q: "What is the first book in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series?"

"The first book in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series is A Life's Work, published in 2001."

Q: "Why was A Life's Work controversial?"

"A Life's Work (2001) was controversial because of its unsparing account of the reality of early motherhood, including its tedium, physical demands, and the loss of self it can involve. It attracted fierce criticism from some readers but also built Cusk a loyal following for its honesty."

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	A Life’s Work	2001	Rachel Cusk	Buy
2	The Last Supper	2009	Rachel Cusk	Buy
3	Aftermath	2012	Rachel Cusk	Buy
4	Coventry	2019	Rachel Cusk	Buy

Rachel Cusk’s nonfiction is as formally self-aware as her fiction. A Life’s Work (2001) drew on her experience of becoming a mother and refused the usual consolations of the genre — it was brutally honest about what pregnancy and infant care actually feel like, and it made her famous in ways that caused her considerable difficulty. The Last Supper (2009) describes a summer in Italy with her family, and Aftermath (2012) covers the end of her marriage with the same forensic calm she brings to everything.

Coventry (2019) collects essays written over several years, addressing divorce, estrangement, her experience as a woman writer, and British political life. Together, her nonfiction shows the continuity between the voice in her essays and the voice in her autofictional novels: they are all products of the same disciplined attention to the experience of being a particular person in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series?

There are four books in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series, published between 2001 and 2019.

What is the first book in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series?

The first book in the Rachel Cusk Non-Fiction series is A Life’s Work, published in 2001.

Why was A Life's Work controversial?

A Life’s Work (2001) was controversial because of its unsparing account of the reality of early motherhood, including its tedium, physical demands, and the loss of self it can involve. It attracted fierce criticism from some readers but also built Cusk a loyal following for its honesty.

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order