17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Writing But Painful Reading!, August 30, 2005
This review is from: Exposure (Paperback)
Outwardly, Ann Rogers seems to be a young woman who has much to be happy about. She is extremely intelligent and perceptive, artistically talented, and if overly thin, she is still quite attractive with her waist-long red gold hair and chiseled features. She has a wonderful husband, Carl, who loves her very much, despite her sometimes bizarre behavior. And she co-owns a successful videotaping business, recording and editing the life celebrations of others - turning them into perfect events in her workshop.
In reality, Ann Rogers is seriously ill, both physically and mentally. As a girl she was diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus. She never followed doctors' instructions properly, behaving irresponsibly about eating regularly, testing blood sugar and injecting insulin. It was if she had a death wish. She certainly learned early on the consequences of her behavior. Her guardians, her father and maternal aunt, didn't monitor her as they should have. They were deemed negligent by Ann's doctor, causing an investigation by Child Protection Services when the adolescent girl was rushed to the hospital with severe insulin shock. It was not the first time such an emergency occurred. As an adult, Ann, if anything, has become even less responsible about caring for herself. Along with her potentially lethal carelessness, she exacerbates her poor health with an addiction to crystal meth - speed. She has been warned about the dangers of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes which occurs when small blood vessels in the retina become swollen, or tiny new blood vessels start to grow and block the retina causing the complete loss of sight. Taking drugs, especially speed, is part of a continuing pattern demonstrating Ann's lack of concern for her life. She also steals compulsively from New York City's most expensive department stores. Usually, there is no need or desire to possess the stolen items, so they are often disposed of quickly.
Ann's great grandfather was a photographer who lived and worked in Mexico for many years. The most lucrative aspect of his business was photographing the dead, especially children. Back in the late 1800's young children died frequently. They were often carried off by childhood illnesses, and there was a severe meningitis epidemic in his area in 1886. People, even the poorest, wanted memorial photographs of their "angelitos," (little angels). When Ann's father, the famous photographic artist, Edgar Evens Rogers, discovered a portfolio of his forefather's work he was fascinated. He began to photograph young Ann in the nude, in poses of death. She became his primary, in fact, his only subject.
Virginia Crane Rogers died giving birth to Ann. Mariette Crane, Virginia's sister, came to care for the infant and never left, becoming like a mother to the girl. The only interest her father showed in his daughter was as a model - her development as a human being ignored. And when her teen body began to fill out, although still quite thin and immature, he lost interest in her altogether. Edgar Rogers committed suicide in 1979, and photographed his own death from a camera set on a tripod with a timer attached. Needless to say, the resulting pictures scarred Ann terribly, not that these were her first scars.
New York's Museum of Modern Art has long been planning a retrospective of Edgar Rogers' work. As the exhibit's inauguration date approaches, Ann becomes extremely stressed which causes her to behave more erratically than usual. Many of Rogers' photographs will be on display for the first time. These are the most graphic, where prepubescent Ann is posed as if dead, or in sexually explicit situations. Some of the photos even show self-mutilation as art - art which violated the girl's, and then the woman's life.
Katheryn Harrison writes brilliantly, elegantly. Her narrative approaches poetry at times. However, "Exposure" is much more than a novel of psychological suspense. The storyline is devastatingly painful to read. Ann is most certainly over exposed. She was abused - her life, her very privacy invaded from childhood and made public. She was treated like an object by her only living parent. While reading, I often felt as if I were rubbernecking at the site of a horrendous automobile accident. I knew I would be sickened by what I saw, but I could not turn away. I became a voyeur. The characters and the read are so compelling, however, it is almost impossible to put the book down.
Since the publication of her memoir, "The Kiss" in 1997, Ms. Harrison and her work have elicited much public attention - of the wrong kind, I think. She wrote about the incestuous affair she had with her father when she was in her 20's. Unfortunately, the autobiographical account probably receives all the scrutiny because of the taboo subject matter, rather than because the prose and the story are of literary merit - which they are. Much of her writing has pathological narcissism, violation, physical suffering and sexual taboo as central themes. Potential readers may find these topics too distasteful to deal with. This is a shame because the author is extremely talented and writes about much that is relevant in today's world. I recommend "Exposure," but suggest that for an initial experience one should begin with another Harrison novel. I am reading "Envy" right now, and find it excellent.
JANA
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exquisite and painstakingly beautiful, October 5, 2007
"Exposure" is a magnificent novel about a woman who is headed on a downward spiral of self-destruction. On the outside, Ann Rogers appears to have it all. At the age of 33, she co-owns a successful video production company. She has plenty of money, a wonderful husband, and strikingly good looks. On the inside, however, Ann is a mess. She's a diabetic and frequently fails to follow her strict insulin regimen, causing herself to go into insulin shock. Ann's secret addiction to crystal meth only makes matters worse, causing more severe symptoms of the diabetes and even forcing Ann to undergo several frightening eye surgeries. On top of all that, every time Ann does crystal meth, she has the urge to shoplift. All in all, she's a mess.
There's much more to Ann's story than what meets the eye. She is the daughter of Edgar Rogers, a famous photographer who committed suicide 15 years ago. Edgar frequently used Ann as his model, and many of the photographs featured his pre-adolescent daughter in sexually explicit poses. The story behind these photos isn't what the reader might be inclined to assume at first, but the images do have a powerful affect on Ann. As a large exhibit of her father's work prepares to open, Ann becomes overwhelmed with memories of her childhood, and her self-destructive behavior escalates as a result.
I absolutely loved this book. Author Kathryn Harrison spares no expense when exposing the dark undercurrents of Ann's fragile existence. In addition to being a brutally honest and detailed account of this character's life and emotions, Harrison's prose are elegant and beautiful to read. "Exposure" chronicles the way Ann's personality was shaped as a result of her being a work of art, but this book is truly an amazing work of art all on its own. It's a must-read.
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