Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

This book, despite my elevated high hopes (due to marketing and reviews) this one wasn't for me. I deal with enough Machiaivellean, sarcastically egotistical and cruel people in real life.

When I picture a "humourous book" this one will NOT spring to my mind.

Not my cuppa, if you enjoy family drama, cruelty and it's societal and personal impacts, maybe it will be up your alley, seems to have gotten a lot of awards...

A portrait of a truly dysfunctional family, starting with the patriach Ray Hanrahan, a visual artist past his prime and a total narcissist who, nevertheless, has bullied and manipulated his entire family (wife, children, ex-wife) into cowering beneath his thumb. The action takes place over a single weekend and is based in England but it's story could be replicated anywhere when a single individual, a narcissist to the nth degree, puts his fame and happiness above all else. Not someone I would pick to form the spine of the book and not someone I enjoyed reading about. This one wasn't for me.

Cute book with a well done storyline and likeable characters. It was easy to read and I really enjoyed the whole book.

Many poor reviews, just noticed that this was originally published in 2022. I don’t know if revisions were made but it clearly hasn’t made much difference. These characters are so un-relatable that I often found myself cringing when they spoke. It seems no one has a “vertebrae” as Lucia would call it. I found it to be an outrageous story told by unreliable characters with a ridiculous, unresolved ending.

I tried to read this but I just couldn't get into it. I didn't care for the characters from the start. I got about 30% into it and finally decided to put it down. It was moving really slow and I couldn't really see the point she was trying to make. I will have to take a DNF on this one.

There are all kinds of books and readers. After seeing the awards and description, I thought I would love it but alas, I did not. Very sarcastic which I like, but almost too sarcastic. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

The Exhibitionist" by Charlotte Mendelson is a rollercoaster ride through the tangled web of family drama and dysfunction. Set against the backdrop of a long weekend gathering to celebrate patriarch Ray's art exhibit, the story delves deep into the toxic dynamics of the Hanrahan family.

From the outset, it's clear that this is not a family gathering filled with warmth and love. Instead, the characters are rife with flaws and dysfunction, making them incredibly unlikable and unsympathetic. Ray, in particular, emerges as a thoroughly despicable figure whose abusive behavior has left a lasting impact on his family members. As the weekend unfolds, tensions simmer and old wounds are reopened, revealing the deep-seated resentments and conflicts that have plagued the family for years.

Despite the challenging nature of the characters, Mendelson's skillful storytelling keeps the reader engaged. The narrative unfolds with a sense of urgency, drawing readers into the turbulent world of the Hanrahans and their tumultuous relationships. Alongside the family drama, the novel offers vivid descriptions of London, adding depth and atmosphere to the story.

While "The Exhibitionist" may not be a feel-good read, it offers a compelling exploration of complex family dynamics and the lasting effects of trauma. It's a book that stays with you long after you've turned the final page, leaving you with much to ponder about the nature of family, forgiveness, and redemption.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

I wanted to like this book; I had high hopes given the successes its author, Charlotte Mendelson, has had with her previous novels, not to mention the blurbs exclaiming it to be “furiously funny,” “a devastating treat,” and “[s]oul-scouringly good,” and the Times UK naming it Novel of the Year while the Guardian, the Telegraph, and the Sunday Times (UK) all named it A Best Book of the Year. Despite my hopes and the accolades, I was terribly disappointed. The book is rambling, disjointed, pointless and nonsensical, and none of the characters are in the least bit sympathetic. The book is as pedestrian as I imagine a book can get, and the ending ties very few of its many loose ends together, making for an extraordinarily dissatisfying read.

Nevertheless, I appreciate being given this book for free as an advanced digital reader’s copy by NetGalley. My review of it is wholly VOLUNTARY.

This is familial issues at its finest as the family gathers to celebrate the patriarch’s exhibition. This story is about art, politics, finding yourself but above all family.

Thank you #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I love a novel with lots of family drama and The Exhibitionist was certainly filled with it. The story is told over the course of a long weekend as members of the terribly dysfunctional Hanrahan family gather to celebrate the patriarch's art exhibit.
I can't remember ever reading a book filled with so many totally unlikable or unsympathetic characters. The publisher's description references it as book of toxic family politics and it certainly fits that description. The patriarch, Ray, seems to have no redeeming qualities and his abusive behavior impacted all of his family members. They are all in need of serious therapy.
On a positive note, I did like the cover as well as the author's descriptions of London.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read The Exhibitionist in exchange for an honest review.

The decades of feminism, and its various waves, have skipped right over various of the Hanrahan women. There is Lucia, in her 50s, an artist on the cusp of greatness, married for a long time to the horrendous cartoon villain, Ray Hanrahan, himself an artist once of some renown, his glory days far behind him, the torturing patriarch and husband who makes life unmanageable for his wife, daughters, and stepson Patrick. Patrick, Lucia's son from an earlier relationship, is a mess. Leah, his younger daughter, is his stalwart defender who treats him almost like the lover she does not have, only Jess, his elder daughter, has managed to escape, settling in Scotland but with a man whom she does not love. Why Lucia has abnegated her every wish and desire, worries about good things happening in her art career, plans to turn down enormous honors, to please Ray who is not worthy of anything, much less love and loyalty, and why Leah has taken on the role of Ray's stalwart defender, there always at hand, remains unanswered. That main construct, never answered, is one I couldn't buy. A dysfunctional family to the nth degree, and though the falling-down house in London, and the various foibles of a certain type of British creative class are wonderfully sketched, so much is unexplained and left unresolved. A lot of viewpoints and I kept coming back to why - why have they not turned their backs on Ray and gotten on with their lives.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc.

I wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the synopsis and thought it would be for me. However the story never caught me and after 4 tries, it’s become a DNF for me.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, St. Martins Press from and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Charlotte Mendelson knows how to put the fun(ny) in dysfunctional family. Satire at its finest. I laughed so hard at some points my abdomen hurt. A better workout than going to any gym! A great read for a book club of if you want something quick and funny.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

3.5

The prose is immersive and at times disorienting as we are thrown into the stream of consciousness of each character. But my goodness, Ray, the father and husband that they all revolve around is awful. He is a self centered toddler and why anyone puts up with him I am unclear on: “It’s like playing Jenga: any threat to his self-esteem, a tiny wobble and the whole thing comes crashing onto your knuckles.” I spent the first third of the book trying to understand why intelligent, capable women living in 21st century London do in fact revolve their lives around him.

But as the existence of secrets–everyone has them–and their slow revelation, I became horrified at the incoming disasters. This is a very specific commentary on a very specific class of people. It was horrifying and funny all at the same time.

The Exhibitionist
Author Charlotte Mendelson
Published July 4, 2023

Thank you, @stmartinspress and @netgalley, for the e- arc of this novel!

Witty and funny, The Exhibitionist, takes place over one weekend as readers learn about the artist couple, Lucia and Ray. We learn their likes, dislikes, inner most desires and feelings, their loves, hates, wants, and needs - all in a comical and interesting way of their experiences and the way that they relate and act toward each other.

The Hanrahan family are getting together for their father's art exhibition - the first one in decades. And as the family and three siblings gather, their true selves begin to unfold - all in very expected and yet unexpected ways. And what of Ray's tender and steadfast wife, Lucia? Lucia is battling with a few decisions and desires of her own. How will this all unfold?

A story of family bonds - both loving and toxic, art, and freedom, The Exhibitionist will be sure to make readers laugh and grow to love the wildly unique Hanrahan family!

I really wanted to like this book. I tried starting it on three different occasions, and I felt as I started to read it, it was just not for me. The writing was great, but the story just did not get my attention.

Definitely a different kind of family drama or soap opera, whichever you prefer. The cover drew me in but didn't meet the promise of it's excellence. While I found the story line interesting, the "events" seem to vary in pace to the point I'd set the book aside for awhile. I really think this book would be better as a soap opera, so you could watch in episodes. While I didn't LOVE the book, I'm recommending it to my reading circle for their opinions.

The Exhibitionist has stayed with me like few novels do anymore. I found myself thinking about the characters throughout the day and monopolizing dinner party conversations describing these awful and damaged people. I was asked why I would read a novel that was upsetting me? What was I hoping to get from it? Both seemed to be valid questions but neither stopped me from racing home to finish the last fifty pages.

The Exhibitionist is an uncomfortable novel about the imbalance of power in a marriage and a family or less succinctly a famous artist marries his student and then gaslights her entire existence and that of their children to be in service to him. Her work is a threat to his waining talent and his oversized ego can't and won't handle the competition.

The novel is expertly written. Mendelson allows each character the space to defend their actions and choices in an almost confessional space while plotting their next move in what seems like a desperate hope for survival. Mendelson also plays wonderful with time jumping back and forth between past and present to keep the reader in as uneasy state and off balance mirroring the feelings of the characters.

So why do I read novels that upset me? Because life is upsetting at times. We learn empathy, awareness, and compassion through stories that aren't always pleasant. What do I hope to get from it? An open dialogue. Early on in the novel, Lucia, the main character, asks "Is this what it's like to be a man?" What a wonderful way to start a conversation!

This is snapshot of a family centered around an art showing of their father who has been in the art world for sometime. You learn they are individualistic and have complex, adversarial relationships to each other which all stem from the father’s demeanor. It focuses mainly on the mother and her career choices, health, motherly instincts and personal sexual fulfillment. I struggle with stories like this if I cannot like the characters. These characters were too off putting for me to gain empathy with and I felt the resolution/ending was lacking to make up for it. It’s beautifully written. I loved a lot of the descriptions and language choices but the subject matter was not for me.