Exposed

This story of an unraveling photographer as she joins a mysterious community theater troupe drew me in with its graceful intensity. Although Connie wants desperately to leave her camera (and hence her past) locked in its vault, she is a photographer to the core. Her efforts to substitute that art for other arts - first playing the cello and later acting - only get her into trouble as she finds herself privy to the secrets of the troupe. When she finally twists her camera lens back in place, she finds herself caught in a murkiness that only her camera can see, although never clearly enough. This literary descent into near madness and pill-confused reality while still keeping sight of the real world is a balancing act well achieved.