The Author (Rachel Cusk)

As narrator, Cusk does not mention many details about her own life as a writer or in any other way, either before or during the period of time covered by the memoir. She portrays herself solely in terms of her relationship with motherhood, as she goes through pregnancy and learns to form a relationship with and care for her first child after her birth. This emphasizes for the reader the degree to which acclimating herself to the role of mother is all-encompassing for her.

In general, Cusk also chooses not to focus on her relationships with people aside from her baby. The main exception to this is a friend of hers named Miranda who is also a mother and whose presence is therefore relevant to Cusk’s description and exploration of motherhood. Cusk also has a male partner who is her child’s father...