Untangling the Proof Natalie Portman Inspired Rachel Cusk's Life of M

Aug 21, 2026 - 22:56

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Untangling the Proof Natalie Portman Inspired Rachel Cusk's Life of M

Pregnant Natalie Portman Has Rare Date Night With Tanguy Destable Ahead of Baby’s Arrival

It's a lead part that Natalie Portman never auditioned for. And yet, any reader flipping through all 192 pages of author Rachel Cusk's forthcoming Life of M would emerge from the metaphorical final bow asking, "Was that about...?"

The avant-garde novel (set to be released Aug. 25) features a writer in a European city that seems an awful lot like Portman and Cusk's chosen town of Paris, who decides to pen a somewhat fictional autobiography about an actress pal, the titular M.

In the extended celebrity profile, Cusk notes of M, "To always be playing a part is to have no home, she thinks, nor any history."

And while neither Cusk, nor the actress—who's selected some of the writer's past stories for her eponymous book club and hosted her for a 2022 discussion—has discussed the rumored pas de deux, plenty of reviewers have thoroughly examined the choreography.

There's the setting—Portman having moved to the French city with her now-ex, French ballet director Benjamin Millepied, in 2014—and the fact that M starred in a ballet-based film that bears a stark resemblance to Black Swan.

Calling it "perhaps her highest achievement" (Portman collected an Oscar for her role in the dark 2010 drama, with many applauding her somewhat method performance), Cusk wrote, "The erasure of the boundary between M and her character was an obvious means of infusing a drop of human blood into her performance."

M is also the proud owner of two big dogs (see: Portman's rescues Sunday and Penny), caught a matinee of a film that shares a plot with Portman's 2018 musical drama Vox Lux and has a strained relationship with someone who could theoretically be former husband Millepied, dad to her kids Aleph, 15, and Amalia, 9.

And as buzz for the book has grown, so has speculation that Cusk kinda sort sold out her pal. (E! News has reached out to reps for Portman, Cusk and her publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux, but has not heard back.)

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Though there's no evidence of a close bond between the author and her rumored subject, now expecting her third child with French musician Tanguy Destable, pop culture critic Hunter Harris wrote a Substack piece asking, "Does Natalie Portman Have a Bad Art Friend?"

Meanwhile, in her review, Valerie Stivers wrote, "Natalie Portman has long seemed more like a person who wants to brand herself as smart than like a person who is actually smart—and her decision to let her friend Rachel Cusk write a book about her seems to confirm this."

The larger issue, however, is that it doesn't appear the Harvard grad, 45, signed off on all this song and dance, with anonymous insiders telling the Daily Mail she's less-than-pleased with both the account and the idea that she cooperated.

Another source noted to The Hollywood Reporter that while the character is undeniably meant to be Portman, "M bears zero resemblance to the person of Natalie Portman. If you asked anybody who knows her they'd say the same."

As for the relationship between Portman and Cusk, who also received backlash for her 2012 memoir Aftermath, that detailed the end of her marriage, they've met a handful of times, but they're not a please-write-a-book-about-me type besties.

And, in fact, one passage may point to that fact.

When M confronts the fictional writer about the "hurtful" portrayal, noting she's painted as cold, the author responds, that it's not based in reality: "But you're just playing a character, I said. The character was invented by me. So if that's true, then it's me it's true of."

Come Aug. 25, Cusk's novel will truly take center stage. But it's not the only summer release to put on a show. Keep reading to check out the season's hottest releases.

Avon

The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker

Release: May 19

Raeve and Kaan’s story continues in the second installment of Sarah J. Parker’s Moonfall series.

While everyone’s favorite bristly, assassin-with-a-cause has more memories at her disposal in the sequel to When The Moon Hatched, whether she utilizes them is up to Raeve and Raeve alone. But as ghosts—remembered and new—from her and Kaan’s pasts begin to threaten their future, she’ll need to embrace her most painful moments in order to secure the life she’s always deserved.

Plus, there’s the threat of a moonfall—the biggest and most devastating Raeve’s world has ever seen—looming on the horizon.

Crown

Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick

Release: May 26

After captivating TikTok with her candid pop culture takes and love of romance, Averick is officially shifting into BookTok with this heartfelt love story. On the cusp of her 30th birthday, Phoebe Berman has just one objective: Lose her virginity. The obsessively organized teacher must confront the debilitating anxiety that has prevented her from dating—and untangle her dynamics with three men in her life.

Berkley

The Open Era by Edward Schmit

Release: June 2

Is it too on the nose to say Schmit has aced this debut? Still, the sentiment stands. Austin Hardy is under enough pressure making his US Open debut. Being the first openly gay man to play in a Grand Slam only ups the stakes. Further complicating the dynamic is his new friendship—or something more—with no. 2 in the world Diego Cruz. This sweet queer love story set in the world of tennis is the perfect addition to the sports romance genre.

Harper

Whistler by Ann Patchett

Release: June 2

Patchett’s reputation precedes her enough that just seeing her name on the cover means you’re in for a moving, captivating work of literature. And The Whistler is no different. When Daphne and her husband visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she has a chance encounter with Eddie, her former stepdad whose presence loomed large on her life. After reconnecting, they look back at their time together, the catalyst for his divorce from her mom and how it shaped the years that followed.

Berkley

The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest

Release: June 9

Get ready to fall in love in a sweet a New Jersey beach town. Noelle Lewis is ready to take her love for books to the next level and become a librarian. That is, once she earns enough money to go back to college and then get her Master’s. Until then, she’s hustling in every way she can, including as a bridesmaid for hire. Jeremiah Smith, however, needs a girlfriend to bring to his family beach home for his first visit since his grandfather’s death. So, they strike a deal: She’ll pretend to be his girlfriend for a weekend, and he’ll make a massive contribution to her tuition fund. What could go wrong?

Grand Central Publishing

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams

Release: June 9

Williams’ is ready to have you dreaming of first-class and that coveted airplane meet-cute. After meeting the perfect man on the flight to Paris but forgetting to exchange names before casting director Sasha Cruz sets out on a journey to track him down. And beyond inadvertently enlisting the company she’s leading a new campaign for, she hires Wes, a private detective from her past help her find her probable soul mate. That is, until sparks begin to fly between her and Wes.

Berkley

The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

Release: June 16

Sophie moves to coastal Maine to take on the role of head gardener of the eccentric, once-storied Lilymoor House. However, she soon discovers an odd, intriguing and new feature of the house in the form of a door leading to a secret garden. The catch: The door never appears in the same place twice and there is a man stuck there. With the future of Lilymoor in the balance, she must team up with the trapped man, not to mention the Lilymoor owner’s newly arrived nephew to help it thrive once more.

Tiny Reparations Books

Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow

Release: June 23

Keeping her real identity hidden, international thief Ophir launches a podcast, where she details her life of crime. But beyond regaling listeners with tales of crisscrossing the world, snatching up one priceless item at a time, she also details the more vulnerable side effects to living a life on the run.

St. Martin's Press

Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee

Release: July 7

Lee’s novel The Idea of You has been a must-read for romance writers—not to mention a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. And now, the author is back with a different kind of story. In the novel, Cecelia Chen is at a crossroads in her life as a wife and mom when she reunites with a woman from her past. As they revisit their time together, Cecelia must reckon with all that has been weighing on her—her career, family, experience as a middle-aged Jamaican Chinese woman in America.

Random House

Country People by Daniel Mason

Release: July 7

North Woods firmly put Mason on the map—even landing him on the Pulitzer Prize short-list. Now, he’s back, with Country People which follows Miles and his wife Kate as they relocate to Vermont for her visiting lecturer role at a prestigious college. Looking to find a place for himself, he soon becomes enmeshed with a group of odd locals who seem straight out of his beloved folktales. And after learning about some local lore, it becomes clear that maybe his reality is stranger than fiction.

Scribner

Helpless by Jessica Knoll

Release: July 7

After her beloved film teacher dies, actress-turned -producer Faye Heron returns to her college town for the funeral, where she reunites with her ex-boyfriend Henry Spalding, who broke her heart and inspired her star-making episode of TV. So, it’s no surprise when a seemingly cordial encounter ends with her being drugged and kidnapped to his remote family cabin, giving them a chance to relitigate their past—and get to the bottom of the secrets that have been lurking under the surface for more than a decade.

Del Rey

The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Release: July 14

In the latest from the mastermind behind Mexican Gothic, a con artist with a penchant for robbing lonely women out of their fortunes in 1940s Mexico hits a roadblock with his latest mark when he meets her niece. Desperate to flee the confines of her aunt’s home, she proposes they join forces. However, as feelings get in the way, their plan goes increasingly more complex—until it threatens to spiral out of control.

Dutton

The Unknown by Riley Sager

Release: August 4

It’s not a summer reading list without a little scare. Actress Marin Keene has landed her breakout role. Except there is a caveat: The role requires her to spend a week on a remote island where a group of women vanished a century ago.
And, it just so happens that she is starring in a movie based on those events told through the diary of one of the women. Unnerved yet? Well, so Marin is, and it only takes a turn when just like before, people start going missing.

Avon

The Magic We Made by Meg Cabot

Release: August 11

Cabot’s latest Witches of West Harbor love story will put a spell on you—quite literally. Frankie and Ash couldn’t be more opposite. She’s a therapist who is annoyed with her town’s increasing popularity as a witchy destination. Ash has magical abilities that sometimes go awry. After witches flocking to their town begin disappearing, the pair team up to find them, and, well, some magic may just happen.

Crown

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty

Release: August 25

Not only is Liane Moriarty back with her first ever sequel, but she’s serving up another dose of the most chaotic mom group in fiction. Set a decade after Big Little Lies, the book catches readers up with Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie as they face their latest challenge: parenting teenagers. However, old secrets are threatened when someone begins asking about the past, and they must contend with whether the truth can really stay hidden. If that isn’t thrilling enough, Big Little Truths is the source material for season three of Big Little Lies, so time to start preparing those cold little hearts.