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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Review: Expose by Kimberly Marcus



Publication Date: 2-22-11
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Challenge: N/A

Goodreads Summary:
In the dim light of the darkroom, I'm alone, but not for long.
As white turns to gray, Kate is with me.
The background of the dance studio blurred, so the focus is all on her
legs extended in a perfect soaring split.
The straight line to my squiggle,
my forever-best friend.


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.


 
Liz has been taking pictures for a long time and her best friend Kate has always been along for the ride.  She has supported her and often been her subject.  One day, Kate spends the night and decides to go home early.  Liz thinks it’s because of a fight they had, but doesn’t realize more than that happened.  Liz tries to talk to Kate in school and can’t.  Then, she finds out her brother is being accused of rape…by her best friend Kate.  Who do you believe?  Your BFF of many years or your brother?  Liz is caught in the middle.  Her photography suffers, her family suffers, and Liz is trying to figure it all out. 

This book is written in verse, which I love, but I know some people are not a fan of.  It is Kimberly Marcus’ debut novel and she did great.  She caught the attention of the reader and was able to tell a story in verse.  She was able break-through and made us feel the emotions of Liz.  I felt sorry for Liz, but I felt even worse for her friend Kate.  I couldn’t imagine having to tell my best friend that I was raped by her brother.  I couldn’t imagine being the best friend and not knowing who to believe.  You so desperately want to believe your best friend, but it’s your brother. The guy you’ve known your entire life and don’t want to believe he could do something so terrible.  This really was a book full of raw emotions and the reality of how life can be.  If you don’t love books in verse, I still think you should give this one a try.  It’s an emotional ride and telling the story in verse really adds to the depth and intensity of the novel.

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