  The X-ray flux of Nova V2491 Cyg reached a maximum some forty days after
optical maximum. The X-ray spectrum at that time, obtained with the RGS of
XMM-Newton, shows deep, blue-shifted absorption by ions of a wide range of
ionization. We show that the deep absorption lines of the X-ray spectrum at
maximum, and nine days later, are well described by the following
phenomenological model with emission from a central blackbody and from a
collisionally ionized plasma (CIE). The blackbody spectrum (BB) is absorbed by
three main highly-ionized expanding shells; the CIE and BB are absorbed by cold
circumstellar and interstellar matter that includes dust. The outflow density
does not decrease monotonically with distance. The abundances of the shells
indicate that they were ejected from an O-Ne white dwarf. We show that the
variations on time scales of hours in the X-ray spectrum are caused by a
combination of variation in the central source and in the column density of the
ionized shells. Our phenomenological model gives the best description so far of
the supersoft X-ray spectrum of nova V2491 Cyg, but underpredicts, by a large
factor, the optical and ultraviolet flux. The X-ray part of the spectrum must
originate from a very different layer in the expanding envelope, presumably
much closer to the white dwarf than the layers responsible for the
optical/ultraviolet spectrum. This is confirmed by absence of any correlation
between the X-ray and UV/optical observed fluxes.
