This is an exquisite book. What began in Outline as a self-reflexive project about narrative form and outside-in story construction now reaches a point of maturity in Transit, the transformative entry in Cusk's trilogy. But even if a reader is uninterested in Rachel Cusk's abstract formalism this novel contains some extraordinary scenes of conversation. The characters and themes present here are so well laid out and so incredibly well written I was instantly hooked.

This is an excellent novel which challenges or, arguably, reinforces the power of narratological form while simultaneously conveying an array of entertaining and intelligent interviews with interesting characters across themes begun in the first novel.

Though these novels are unlinked by narrative elements I don't believe you can read them out of order. Cusk is doing something across the organizing thematic principles within each novel and even if one can't articulate exactly what it is, the undercurrent of her work is there in a specific order.