LoveReading Says
The Exhibitionist deserves all the accolades! Don’t think, just throw yourself in with abandon, open up and allow yourself to truly feel. This is a reading experience that encourages emotion to fly in the face of normalcy and I came out the other side with the words still clenched in my fist, heart, and mind. The Hanrahan’s are each fighting to be heard in very different ways, and one tumultuous weekend peels away all the layers of their family life. Charlotte Mendelson writes with one heck of a wickedly observant pen, eloquence flowing with strength and energy across the page. I fell in love with all of the characters, even the more abhorrent ones, because she allows you to witness each and every speck of what makes them human. I will admit at times to almost reading between my fingers, I felt myself flinching in the face of toxic truth. There is a vivid intensity on offer here, a knowingness that slid between words and into my thoughts. I felt as though I was on a runaway train, and I truly didn’t want it to stop. Sitting as a LoveReading Star Book, we proclaim The Exhibitionist as a monumentally beautiful and powerful read.
Liz Robinson
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The Exhibitionist Synopsis
The longer the marriage, the harder truth becomes . . .
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: beautiful Leah, always her father's biggest champion; sensitive Patrick, who has finally decided to strike out on his own; and insecure 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.
The Exhibitionist is the extraordinary fifth novel from Charlotte Mendelson, a dazzling exploration of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire, and personal freedom.
About This Edition
Charlotte Mendelson Press Reviews
In The Exhibitionist Mendelson brings a forensic eye to family dynamics, laying bare the agonies of rage, frustration and longing that lie just beneath the surface of domestic life. The result is a devastating treat of a novel: funny, furious, dark and delicious -- Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Fingersmith
A delicious, heartbreaking family snapshot about thwarted ambition, misplaced loyalty and good and bad love. Secrets abound. Fabulously written and utterly compelling -- Marian Keyes, bestselling author of Grown-Ups
A truly wonderful novel, and a funny and wise one, too; the individual components sparkle, the whole movement beguiles -- Sunjeev Sahota, author of 2021 Man Booker-longlisted The China Room
I don't think I've ever read anything that is simultaneously so elegant and so propulsive - every single sentence Charlotte Mendelson writes is arrestingly powerful. I think this book is beautiful, but it's also funny, furious, sexy, blissfully hot and cold and wild in its rage -- Daisy Buchanan, author of Insatiable
A treat . . . Excoriating observation of the art world, crazy toxic family intrigues, wit, wisdom and brilliant writing -- Muriel Gray A hugely gifted writer - Sunday Times
A stylish, perceptive chronicler of the heart's hidden desires - Daily Mail
Reading Mendelson's easy, assured prose is like sinking into something soft and velvety - Telegraph
Mendelson's novels inhabit similar territory to those of Maggie O'Farrell, with the same capacity for extreme noticing, the same profound emotional intelligence shaping the characters and driving the narrative - Observer
I adore her novels and wish there were many more of them -- Philip Hensher - Spectator
The multi award-winning Charlotte Mendelson is famous for whipping up the hottest, messiest, family dramas as a writer of literary fiction can... Irresistible - The Times
