"Exposed"
by Kimberly Marcus
My Rating:
Pub. Date: February 22, 2011
Pages: 272
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Source: Borrowed From Library
Edition: E-book
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Liz is Photogirl—sharp, focused and confident in what she sees through her camera lens. Confident that she and Kate will be best friends forever.
But everything changes in one blurry night. Suddenly, Kate is avoiding her, and people are looking the other way when she passes in the halls. As the aftershocks from a startling accusation rip through Liz's world, everything she thought she knew about photography, family, friendship and herself shifts out of focus. What happens when the picture you see no longer makes sense? What do you do when you may lose everything you love most? Told in stunning, searingly raw free verse, Exposed is Kimberly Marcus's gut-wrenching, riveting debut and will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson and Virginia Euwer Wolff.
I picked up "Exposed" hearing great things, but, to be honest, not having high expectations. I am presently surprised to say that it is a great book. It is an extremely fast read. I was reading it on my droid, which I tend not to read books solely on my phone, but it was such a fast read I flew through it only a couple of hours.
I've read a decent number of books written in verse, yet I foolishly didn't think "Exposed" would be able to tell a rape story in a fulfilling way; however, I was completely mistaken (and happy about it btw). After reading this book I immediately had to tell my boyfriend (bless him for listening to me) about it. I wish I could say I beautifully formulated a description that truly expressed the soul of the book, but I'm pretty sure I said something along the lines of "OMG! THAT BOOK WAS RIDICULOUS!" I was so pumped up that he thought I disliked the book and was shocked when I said I thought it was great! I love when books get me so pumped up at the end that I have to blog about them immediately, jump out of bet, shout "OH SNAP!", talk to someone about it, or post something on Facebook- unless the book had a horrible ending that enraged me, but that should go without saying.
"Exposed" is able to tell a compelling story without using a lot of words. Even though the book is technically about 272 pages, there is probably closer to 150 pages of actual writing. I was so impressed with how emotionally invested I felt in the book in such a short amount of time. Obviously I felt bad for Kate, but my heart ached for Liza. She was stuck in an impossible position between everyone she loved in life. This book truly shows how rape effects more than just the victim.
"Exposed" is a great book, but I do warn that it is difficult to read. Liza loses so much that I felt helpless while reading this book. Even after I was finished I was shocked at how sad the story was. I know the story is about rape and I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was at the end of the book, but I didn't expect a second hand account to be so depressing. Foolish me! This wasn't my favorite book of 2011, but it is one I highly recommend reading. It is such a fast read you don't have anything to lose by trying it. I really hope Kimberly Marcus continues to write.
I read this months ago and enjoyed it. I got caught up in the emotions, too, even though it was a fast read.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
This book sounds so good! Except I am not really in the mood to read a book that will make me feel hopeless at this exact moment, but I'm sure I will enjoy it later :)
ReplyDeleteMedeia- I was really surprised how much I got swept up in this book! I'm glad you enjoyed it as well :)
ReplyDeleteWdebo- I understand that. I have learned not to force myself to read a book that isn't grabbing me right away. You can always go back to a book when you are in the mood for it. I did that with Blood Red Road and I am soooo glad I put it down and picked it up at a later time :) Trying to read dystopian fiction when I was sick and upset was not the best decision.