The Exhibitionist
A Novel
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4.5 • 6 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
THE TIMES (UK) NOVEL OF THE YEAR
Named A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by the Guardian, the Telegraph, and the Sunday Times (UK)
Charlotte Mendelson's The Exhibitionist is a "furiously funny" novel (Sunday Express, UK) about a marriage between two artists, Lucia and Ray, which begins to unravel over the course of one weekend.
Meet the Hanrahan family, gathering for a momentous weekend as famous artist and notorious egoist Ray Hanrahan prepares for a new exhibition of his art–the first in many decades–and one he is sure will burnish his reputation for good. His three children will be there: eldest daughter Leah, always her father’s biggest champion; son Patrick, who has finally decided to strike out on his own; and daughter Jess, the youngest, who has her own momentous decision to make. And what of Lucia, Ray’s steadfast and selfless wife? She is an artist, too, but has always had to put her roles as wife and mother first. What will happen if she decides to change? For Lucia is hiding secrets of her own, and as the weekend unfolds and the exhibition approaches, she must finally make a choice about which desires to follow.
The Exhibitionist is the latest, extraordinary novel from Charlotte Mendelson, a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire, and personal freedom.
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.
