Tower and Town, September 2023 (view the full edition)Charlotte Mendelson - The ExhibitionistThis gripping novel centres on the Hanrahan family, dominated by patriarch Ray, an artist who has spent decades controlling and manipulating his wife Lucia and their three children, forcing them to sacrifice their independence of thought and deed, their dreams and their wellbeing. As the family, along with friends, colleagues and art-world figures, gather for the launch of Ray's first exhibition in years, tensions rise, as it becomes clear that Ray's vice-like grip is weakening. Charlotte Mendelson has created a devastatingly accurate and nuanced portrait of the realities and complexities of coercive control and the damage, suffering and limitations it inflicts on its victims. She keeps the reader in suspense right to the end of the novel as to who, if anyone, will gain the insight and determination required to liberate themselves from Ray. This family drama is as riveting as any thriller and will have you rooting for Lucia, Leah, Patrick and Jess in their quests to establish their own lives on their own terms. See Charlotte Mendelson in the Town Hall at 11.30am on Saturday 30 September.  Louise Spencely |