Exposed

Exposed 

Author:Kimberly Marcus

Publisher: Random House

Pages: 260

Read Time: 1 Hours

Rating (1-5): 4

Tag Words: written in verse, rape, photography, dance, sibling, family crisis, loosing your best friend, coming of age, court testimony, college applications

My Summary:

Elizabeth, Liz, is known as Photogirl. She thought everything was in focus and that she had framed the right angle until the world she thought she had captured became blurry. Now she is seeing things from a new vantage point and she isn’t sure she likes what she sees. 

My Review:

I am usually not a fan of books in verse. I almost always feel they are a cop-out and an easy way to skip over character development. I wanted to love Exposed, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t. Oh I of little faith.

Exposed is truthful, down to Earth and consistent. The author let all of her literary symbolism ‘hang out’ to create a journey from capturing the frame to exposing the image to matting the final print. I feel proud to love photography when I read this book and I am proud of the characters- Elizabeth, Kate, even Liz’s parents in the end. 

The number one thing that surprised me most was the genuine empathy I felt for Elizabeth, who was a third party character, neither raped, nor accused and yet suffering just as greatly. 

This is an author who I will be sure to watch for in all aspects of YA. 

Notes on the Names: 

Elizabeth and Kate. Classic and timeless, you can’t go wrong, but there wasn’t much adventure. 

One of the first things Marcus ever writes is:

“Soon others stroll in

Javier, the Hoopster.

Nathan, the Nuisance.

Brenda, star of the Brenda Show.”

I wanted Marcus to continue the theme. Fiona the Photogirl. Maria the Mistress of Dance, or Diana the Dancer, or Belinda, the Ballerina. 

Imagine the affect of Ray, the Raper, or Ace, the Assaulter. Wow.

Thoughts on the Cover: This is a gorgeous cover with fine attention to detail and actual baring on the story. The picture of Kate dancing makes an appearance in the plot. 

Parental Book Review *spoilers*

Sexual Content: 

Mild/Moderate.

Kate is raped by Mike while Mike is drunk. The restraining (I.E. he pins her arm and puts a pillow over her mouth) is mentioned and Kate says ‘it hurt so bad,’ but the actual rape is not detailed. 

Mike claims they just had a “wild night” and tells his friends.

Elizabeth makes out with her boyfriend, he touches her breast and “sparks fly.” They are interrupted by her mother.  

Language: 

Moderate

B- 1

A- 1

D- 3

S- 4

H- 3

Sl*t-2

Violence: 

Moderate. See Sexual Content. 

Other Notables: 

Elizabeth drinks at a party to forget and to feel something.