Rachel Cusk's 'Life of M' Sparks Roman à Clef Debate with Natalie Portman Portrait

Rachel Cusk's upcoming novel 'Life of M', set for release on August 25, is suspected to be an unflattering portrait of her close friend Natalie Portman. The book centers on an actor named M whose life is chronicled by a writer friend, with similarities to Portman first reported by Unherd journalist Valerie Stivers. Cusk is known for brutally honest autofictional characters, and the novel depicts M as an untouchable Hollywood figure with a self-righteous core. The article also lists nine other notable roman à clefs: 'The Bell Jar' (Sylvia Plath, 1963) based on Plath's life; 'Valley of the Dolls' (Jacqueline Susann, 1966) inspired by Judy Garland and others; 'Heartburn' (Nora Ephron, 1983) about her divorce from Carl Bernstein; 'Postcards from the Edge' (Carrie Fisher, 1987) based on Debbie Reynolds; 'Primary Colors' (Joe Klein, 1996) about Bill Clinton; 'Blonde' (Joyce Carol Oates, 2000) about Marilyn Monroe; 'The Devil Wears Prada' (Lauren Weisberger, 2003) based on Anna Wintour; 'American Wife' (Curtis Sittenfeld, 2008) inspired by Laura Bush; 'The First Thing You See' (Grégoire Delacourt, 2015) which led to a lawsuit by Scarlett Johansson; and 'Daisy Jones & The Six' (Taylor Jenkins Reid, 2019) drawing parallels to Fleetwood Mac.