The Exhibitionist
The Times Novel of the Year 2022
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3.3 • 27 Ratings
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
A Times, Guardian, and Good Housekeeping Book of the Year
'Utterly compelling' - Marian Keyes
'I adored it' - Meg Mason, bestselling author of Sorrow & Bliss
'One of the funniest writers in Britain' - The Guardian
The extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, The Exhibitionist is a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire and personal freedom.
Meet the Hanrahan family.
Ray, the father. Acclaimed artist and notorious narcissist, who is obsessed with his own reputation.
Lucia, his long-suffering wife. A lauded sculptor yet terrified of what recognition could bring. And she has a secret of her own which could tear the family apart.
Leah, the eldest daughter, devoted to her father and convinced of his genius.
Patrick, Lucia’s sensitive son, who has finally decided to strike out by himself.
Jess, the youngest daughter, insecure and facing a daunting decision.
As they gather for a momentous weekend – the first exhibition of Ray’s artwork in many decades – each member of the family must finally make a choice. And when they do, once tensions have boiled over and the guests have departed, what will be left of the Hanrahans?
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. As heard on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime.
'Funny, furious, dark and delicious' - Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Fingersmith
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mendelson's brilliant latest (after Almost English) offers an eviscerating portrayal of an unhappy family in London. With scalpel-sharp prose, the author dissects each of the Hanrahans, beginning with the clan's patriarch, Ray. A pompous artist well past his prime, Ray showers his family with abuse, blaming his failures on his wife, Lucia, who is also an artist. Lucia has spent her whole married life catering to Ray's ego, playing down her own talents for fear that any success of her own might derail her husband. Their older daughter, who is in her 30s, still lives at home and indulges Ray's self-pity, while the younger one has escaped to Edinburgh to teach—a profession Ray disdains—but has been coerced back to London for the opening of an exhibition of Ray's work in 2010, the first in many years. Meanwhile, Lucia's son from a previous relationship, Patrick, is preparing Ray's gallery for the show of his work, though Ray has verbally lacerated Patrick for so many years that he barely functions. Everyone has secrets, Lucia's by far the most intriguing. Not only is she desperately in love with a female MP, but she's not told anyone yet that she's been offered the chance to represent Great Britain at an international art exhibition, news she knows would destroy Ray. Mendelson shines especially when depicting the inner life of Lucia, who must reconcile a passionate vocation with the rigors of domestic responsibility. This crackles with female fury, insecurity, and desire.
