Exposed

(Paperback)

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Description

A French teacher on the verge of retirement is invited to a glittering opening that showcases the artwork of his former student, who has since become a celebrated painter. This unexpected encounter leads to the older man posing for his portrait. Possibly in the nude. Such personal exposure at close range entails a strange and troubling pact between artist and sitter that prompts both to reevaluate their lives. Blondel, author of the hugely popular novel The 6:41 to Paris, evokes an intimacy of dangerous intensity in a tale marked by profound nostalgia and a reckoning with the past that allows its two characters to move ahead in to the future.

'A short philosophical novel about art, time, and memory...a subtle and at times radiant read' Kirkus Reviews

'...This novel flies by with gentle humor, but it also poses complex questions about the meaning of art and sexuality, and offers an elegiac look at late middle age...' Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review

Reviews

"A short philosophical novel about art, time, and memory ... A subtle and at times radiant read." -Kirkus Reviews "Captivating ... The novel flies by with gentle humor, but it also poses complex questions about the meaning of art and sexuality, and offers an elegiac look at late middle age ... Irresistible, and the story's fundamental kindness sets it apart." -Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Blondel imbues ... [this] story with the quietly fascinating, understated, true-feeling complications of real life." -Booklist "A novel of tender, shy wisdom whose characters remind each other that memory lives in the body, loosened like knots by the right touch. Exposed reconciles old age to its theme of regret. It is, however, Blondel's true talent that we embrace that regret-not only as an opportunity for joy, but as a polestar to guide us places we'd never have gone without it." -Patrick Nathan, author of Some Hell "Blondel writes superbly." -Le Monde "What makes Jean-Philippe Blondel's universe so precious is above all its muffled nostalgia and delightful charm." -Le Figaro "The magic of this intimate novel ... plunges into the depths of the heart of its two heroes; one seizing the `essence of the other' who agrees to put himself in absolute danger with a sort of perverse pleasure." -Livres Hebdo Praise for The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel: "A strong plot and a touching portrayal of how any of us might feel when unexpectedly confronted by the detritus of young love ... A timely reminder that the past is always waiting to ambush us." -The New York Times Book Review

Author Bio

Jean-Philippe Blondel was born in 1964 in Troyes, France where he lives as an author and English teacher. His novel The 6:41 to Paris has been acclaimed in the United States and across Europe.