Overexposed
A Novel
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Edgy Manhattan shutterbug Rachel Solomon can't wait to escape her difficult Midwestern Jewish family of doctors—and her crazy, condescending WASP friend and photography mentor, Elizabeth Mann. Not so easy when Elizabeth marries Rachel's surgeon-brother, moves to the Midwest, and becomes the daughter Rachel's mother always wanted—one who pops out four babies in a row, who are named after Rachel's dead Yiddish-speaking relatives.
Although Rachel long ago rejected the suburban female role, she's shocked to find she's been replaced. With unsparing candor, sparkling emotional insights, and hilarity, the girl who cut herself out of old photographs now has to fight her way back into the Solomons' photo albums, homes, and hearts.
From the author of the hilarious fictional debut Speed Shrinking—which became an international phenomenon—and the acclaimed memoir of past passion Five Men Who Broke My Heart comes a new book that blows the lid off of the secrets of female friendship. Based on a true story, Susan Shapiro's darkly comic novel Overexposed chronicles the brilliantly twisted tale of two strong women who wind up switching lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but the black leather wearing black sheep of a boisterous Midwestern Jewish clan never figured her best friend would actually leap into her backyard. Photographer Rachel happily trades her suburban Chicago roots distant doctor dad, meddling mom, doctors-in-training younger brothers, and an extended family of dictatorial elders for the boho life in New York City, and though she longs to revel in the edgy art world where her idol, Elizabeth daughter of a famed and famously drunk Life photographer was raised, Elizabeth can't shed the trappings fast enough for the "normal" life Rachel shuns. The gimmick is clever, but Elizabeth's transformation from art world orphan to suburban yenta seems unlikely at best. Luckily, there's more to this hip tale of yearning than her transformation, and Shapiro (Speed Shrinking) champions the small asides, the stubborn secrets, and the unconditional affection of a big, complicated family to forge a connection with readers.
