Eleanor Catton's second novel The Luminaries was published by Te Herenga Waka Press and Granta in 2013, and won the prestigious 2013 Man Booker Prize. In the first story a saxophone teacher becomes aware that Victoria, the older sister of Isolde, one of her pupils, has had a sexual affair with the music teacher, Mr. Saladin. While the adults believe that Victoria was raped, Victoria's fellow students believe that the relationship was consensual. They are forced to attend counselling provided by the school. Isolde, who is two years younger than the rest of the students, is forced to attend with the older girls. While there she develops an interest in Julia, who is rumoured to be a lesbian, because she deliberately provokes the counsellor. The story takes place between three neighboring groups of students. The Drama Institute is a drama college for aspiring actors, and the girls' high school, Abbey Grange, is an elite private school. The music school rounds out the settings of this novel. The sax teacher, a female of unknown identity, is often seen in shadow or startling light. Speaking of identity, only first or last names are identified, all except for one replacement teacher, Jean Critchley, who came on board when music teacher Mr. Saladin was let go. He had a scandalous affair with Victoria, one of the girls from Abbey Grange. This affair is the centerpiece story, from which all other stories, themes, and actions unfold. The abbreviated names personify the characters and their motivations in shadow for much of the story. The Rehearsal is largely about teenagers trying to establish their identities, trying to figure out who and what they are, and what their place in relation to others is; it is, very much, about trying on roles.

In 2014, Catton delivered the annual Read NZ Pānui (then the Book Council Lecture) at the 2014 New Zealand Festival Writers Week, 'On Craft: Paradox and Change.' Walter Scott Prize Shortlist 2014". Walter Scott Prize. 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014 . Retrieved 27 May 2014. a b Morris, Linda (11 September 2013). "Eleanor Catton youngest author ever shortlisted for Booker". The Age. Fairfax Media . Retrieved 19 September 2013.a b Allardice, Lisa (18 February 2023). "Eleanor Catton: 'I felt so much doubt after winning the Booker' ". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 March 2023. In the wake of her Man Booker Prize win, Catton came under fire for her controversial comments regarding the state of New Zealand’s intellectual and creative culture. She spoke on the subject to Livemint : 'we have this strange cultural phenomenon called “tall poppy syndrome”; if you stand out, you will be cut down (…) If you get success overseas then very often the local population can suddenly be very hard on you. Or the other problem is that the local population can take ownership of that success in a way that is strangely proprietal.' Catton also wrote the screenplay for the 2020 film version of Emma, adapted from Jane Austen's novel. Actors attempt to perform like real people, they role-play, just as adolescents pretend to be adults. Life is a theatre of pretension and cruelty. We need protection, so we use both our own face and a mask. We adopt both a guise and a disguise.

While I haven't yet read "The Luminaries", Catton's second novel, I strongly recommend that you read this exemplary novel first. Witness her emergence before you become engrossed with what she has since become.Flood, Alison (2 September 2014). "Eleanor Catton sets up grant to give writers 'time to read' ". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 August 2015. And these examples all hint at Catton’s main theme: performing, pretending, rehearsing. She is concerned with the myriad ways we put on performances in life, such as pretending to be what we’re not; telling others what we think they want to hear; putting the interpretation we want on different events; and so on. That’s the reason for all the elaborate games with form and structure: the text itself mirrors the theme — some characters are literally performing roles.