Biography of X

Catherine Lacey's 'Biography of X' plunges readers into a captivating, counter-factual world as CM, the devastated widow of the enigmatic artist X, embarks on a desperate quest to understand her late wife. X, an iconoclastic artist and writer, was a polarizing figure who meticulously guarded her past, leaving even CM ignorant of her origins. Driven by grief, CM begins writing a biography, a journey that unravels a Pandora's box of secrets, betrayals, and destruction. Her investigation simultaneously delves into the history of the Southern Territory, a fascist theocracy that seceded from the US after WWII and is now facing an uneasy reunification. As CM traces X's peripatetic life across continents, through collaborations and feuds with real-world luminaries like David Bowie and Susan Sontag, she slowly uncovers the true scope of X's defining artistic project. The revelations force CM to confront deceptions far crueller than she could have imagined, challenging the very narratives we construct about those we love. This intellectually potent and suspenseful epic explores the complexities of grief, art, and identity, introducing an unforgettable character whose life story questions the reliability of personal mythologies.