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madamelacy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
A narcissistic ‘artist’ gaslights his wife, Lucia, an artist in her own right, and his children. I didn’t like the plethora of half-finished sentences in the dialogue because they spoilt the flow a bit for me. I found Lucia so frustrating because I just wanted her to strike out on her own. I think her reactions were credible though, after years of being demeaned and bullied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug abuse and Mental illness
Minor: Violence, Cancer, and Abortion
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Exhibitionist is the story of a dysfunctional family, whose patriarch Ray is an artist preparing for the opening of his first exhibition in a decade. Ray is overbearing, narcissistic, controlling, self-important, and entitled, clearly threatened by his wife’s superior artistic talents, utterly vile and emotionally abusive when he feels slighted in any way…and, well I’m sure you get the idea. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed by this book. The plot felt like it had been done before, the characters all felt very one dimensional and lacking any nuance, and the writing, while fine, wasn’t exceptional. In other words there was nothing in it that captured my attention - except for Ray’s awfulness. The audio is narrated by Juliet Stevenson and I did enjoy the listening experience. In addition, lest I sound too negative, the cancer and mental health storylines were sensitively handled and by the end of the book many characters seemed to be taking steps to improve their well-being and happiness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Violence
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