Under its smooth, naturalistic surfaces, Exposure has a tightly wrought plot, gripping as any thriller. But it is the union of this plot with complex, challenging characters that makes the book such a surprising and fulfilling read ... As its first scene promises, it is a dream-like book, but not exactly a reverie: more like one of those visceral dreams bobbing with household objects and Freudian faces that will haunt you for months, if not years.
Dunmore has always been fantastic on the complexity of people’s motivations and the secret reasons they act as they do. This book is no exception ... Fear permeates every page with a leaking, lethal insistency ... It all adds up to a richly satisfying story. This may be an unconventional thriller, but it’s still a page turner for that.
The story is told from four points of view — Simon's, Lily's, Giles' and, briefly, Paul's. Dunmore delves into their characters, revealing latent qualities emerging to meet a fraught situation; at the same time, however, she brilliantly fulfills the requirements of a spy novel, building suspense and an air of menace ... Exposure is one of those books that you read with your heart in your mouth, your mind fully engaged, and with a sense of desolation as you note the dwindling number of pages left before it comes to an end.
Giles Holloway trips down a flight of stairs and breaks his leg. But Giles is no average chap; an employee of the British Admiralty, he’s been stealing top secret intelligence documents and has one such file languishing in his flat that must be returned posthaste if he is to avoid detection. With few true friends to his name, he enlists the help of colleague Simon Callington, a decision that proves disastrous for both men. As their lives begin to implode, their shared history unspools through absorbing, sometimes devastating flashbacks. Don’t sleep on this one, reader: Exposure is a novel you won’t be able to shake.
