Exposed

by Kimberly Marcus

[Angie]

Exposed is a quick, and I think important, read about rape. However, even being so close to my own situation, I felt very distant from the story. Maybe that was the point, because Liz is always the one behind the camera, as an observer rather than a participant. It’s her best friend who gets raped after the girls have a fight, so it’s an interesting change in perspective. But it’s also one that left me feeling nothing but mild annoyance toward Liz because it’s essentially all about how she feels, and how it’s ruining her life.

I do think (and know) that Exposed got a lot of things right. The rape case basically comes down to a he said she said argument and Liz is trapped in the middle. She gets different stories from her best friend and the rapist. She doesn’t want to believe it for obvious reasons. Liz also asks some questions, which I’m sure a lot of people ask themselves, myself included, even though the answers don’t really matter. Did she explicitly say the word no? Did he think she was consenting when she really wasn’t? Like I said, it’s his story versus hers, and there’s a good exploration of victim blaming here, which shouldn’t happen! Everyone is so quick to say he didn’t do it because he’s a good boy, but why would she make it up, she’s a good girl.

Exposed does a good job of showing a rape case, and I did like getting a different perspective. However, Liz’s complaints about how she’s lost her photography mojo and how she’s fighting with her boyfriend and her best friend won’t talk to her, all just rubbed me the wrong way. Her feelings are totally valid, because her problems are her own, but what about Kate? How is she feeling? Her life is more affected than Liz’s was, and yet I’m suppose to care about Liz alienated her boyfriend? I would have liked to see more focus on her feelings toward the loss of the friendship, because Exposed did start off with a really strong friendship focus.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.