The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey review – beyond the bounds of fiction

You can read it from either end, and go round again, as memoir collides with invention in a brilliant interrogation of art, faith and relationshipsFrom her debut, Nobody Is Ever Missing, to 2023’s Biography of X, Catherine Lacey’s work has tested the forms and fabric of the novel with brilliant unease. In The Möbius Book, her experiment crosses the blurred border of fiction into something else. Life writing, autofiction, memoir? Whatever you call it, The Möbius Book is deeply serious and engrossingly playful, and it lavishly rewards serious, playful attention.A Möbius strip is a length of any material joined into a loop with a half twist. It’s an uncanny shape, common and obvious, easily created and yet awkward to describe geometrically. For literary purposes, a Möbius is interesting because there’s intricate structure and constraint but no ending. It goes around again, mirrored with a twist. Lacey’s book takes this literally, the text printed from both ends, with memoir and fiction joined in the middle. Twin stories experiment with plotlessness and irresolution, while remaining aware of the way fiction attaches itself to linear plot and reverts to romance and quest. Characters find and lose love, find and lose meaning. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Fans of iconic 70s band blast ‘awful’ biopic casting of Nick Jonas as rock legend

Metro

Comments

Culture

Fans of iconic 70s band blast ‘awful’ biopic casting of Nick Jonas as rock legend

Billy Joel reveals he attempted suicide twice after betraying his best friend

Beyoncé praised for ‘effortless’ recovery from wardrobe malfunction on Cowboy Carter tour

Blake Lively makes playful flower arranging offer to fans amid Justin Baldoni legal battle

‘Really upsetting’ ITV axe will devastate show that’s been on for 26 years

Clarkson’s Farm fans convinced they spotted ‘editing error’ – but there’s more to it

Billy Joel shares first message with fans since brain disorder diagnosis

‘He threatened my career’: 22 actors who didn’t get along with their directors

Martin Scorsese supported after admitting he no longer goes to the cinema

Venue boss warns Edinburgh Festival Fringe may become a 'one-person show' event

Atomic Kitten star Natasha Hamilton, 42, mistook skin cancer for mosquito bite

Rik Mayall festival a fantastic success - organisers

Springsteen performs harmonica duet with 12-year-old fan

BBC Radio host Bryan Burnett announces break from show after ‘incredibly rare’ cancer diagnosis

Loose Women cuts live studio audience amid ITV budget cuts

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter show is a bewildering bombardment of entertainment

It's quaint the things you find in some people's bathrooms...

The multi-million pound projects transforming Edinburgh's cultural landscape

Donald Trump and Elon Musk get bizarre reality TV offer after public spat

Is 'Ballerina' an en pointe entry in the John Wick universe?

The Pride month vibes are off, but there's still hope.

2025 Tony Awards Predictions: Best New Musical, Best Leading Actress and More

Musk threatens to decommission SpaceX capsule, a key space station link, after Trump attack

Jonathan Bailey reveals big way Wicked 2 differs from stage show

Wicked 2 director Jon M Chu confirms Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will each have a brand new song

Dakota Johnson blames Madame Web flop on people ‘who don’t have a creative bone in their body’

Disney composer Alan Menken: ‘I won my first Oscar, then Howard Ashman told me he was dying’

Beyonce rides into town for London leg of Cowboy Carter tour

Blue Plaque honour for Bradford theatre pioneer

BBC Radio presenter takes break for cancer treatment

'Belfast adopted me when making How to Train Your Dragon' - Gerard Butler

Robbie Williams: ‘My dad doesn’t look after himself – he should have had help long ago’

Why Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new queer love story inspired her to come out

Private Japanese lunar lander crashes into moon in failed mission

Judge halts Trump's order blocking foreign students from Harvard

Tom Cruise awarded Guinness World Record for death-defying scene in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Wicked: For Good trailer released with new songs and first glimpse of Dorothy

Beloved Summer House star announces exit ahead of season 10

Love Island USA: Meet the cast as one islander exits early after racist comments resurface

Fight like a girl? Ana de Armas on twisting phrase for a new meaning

The true story behind A Widow’s Game is even wilder than the Netflix film

Ryan Reynolds acquires a new sports team — this time with Hugh Jackman

‘Draco Malfoy is back’: Tom Felton to reprise Harry Potter role after 14 years

Olly Alexander lands West End role after leaving record deal

‘And Just Like That …’ Season 3, Episode 2 Recap: Textual Relations

Russia Launches Broad Assault on Kyiv and Other Cities in Ukraine

Beyonce enjoys the rain as she kicks off London stint of Cowboy Carter tour

Cowboy Beyoncé dazzles nearly sold-out stadium

Fans drive huge Nintendo Switch 2 launch; others play the waiting game

Harvey Weinstein jury deliberations begin in sex crimes retrial

Tom Cruise awarded Guinness World Record for death-defying Mission Impossible scene

Netflix is hours away from dropping all 6 episodes of ‘traumatic’ Australian thriller

Philippe Labro Dies at 88; Restless Chronicler of the French Condition

Belinda Carlisle announces release of new studio album

Rita Ora releases new single Heat with music video shot on Miami beach

Miley Cyrus’s Voice

Jonathan Joss’ murder investigation takes turn as police backtrack on statement

Former girlfriend tells Diddy trial of sex with male escorts - as rapper is warned by judge

Fans drive massive Nintendo Switch 2 launch; other consumers play the waiting game

Here to Help: A man's decades-long history with Habitat for Humanity