Arlington Park : A Novel

Set over the course of one rainy day in a London suburb, Arlington Park is a viciously funny portrait of a group of young mothers, each bound to their families, each straining for some kind of independence. As the hours pass, Rachel Cusk's graceful, incisive prose passes through the experience of each mother, following them all from the early-morning scrambling, through car trips and visits to the mall, and finally to a dinner party in the evening, when the husbands return and all the conflicts come to the surface. Penetrating and empathetic, Arlington Park is "a domestic adventure about the perils of modern privilege that is as smartly satirical as it is warmly wise" (Elle).

“Everything about Arlington Park is original and fearless.” —Francine Prose, Bookforum

“Hideously funny . . . A novel with a sense of rightness at its core and a narrative intelligence so swift and piercing it can take your breath away.” —The Boston Globe

“Her books are smart and deep, telling tales of urban life that are the twenty-first-century version of Austen or Thackeray. . . . Cusk's depictions and evaluations are spot-on, her language smooth and enthralling.” —Baltimore Sun

“Cusk's glory is her style, cold and hard and devastatingly specific, empathetic but not sympathetic.” —Los Angeles Times

“Cusk's frank acknowledgment of maternal ambivalence is rare and wonderful.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Sharp wit and commanding prose.” —The New York Times

“Devastating . . . Incisively vivid.” —Publishers Weekly