Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ambershelf 's review for:
Exhibit
by R.O. Kwon
ARC gifted by the publisher
Jin Han, a young photographer at the crossroads of her career, meets the alluring ballerina Lidija Jung at a party. As they become more entangled, both women's lives will never be the same.
EXHIBIT asks the question of when a woman's body is on display (pregnancy, motherhood, gratitude) and when one is asked to hide (sexuality, desire, menstruation, kink). Kwon's poetic prose flows seamlessly between Jin's family stories, her feverish relationship with Lidija, and her disintegrating marriage.
Another fascinating aspect is the juxtaposition between art and the artist. Jin's transformation from an artist who objectifies through lenses to becoming the subject of her own work and Lidija's body/skills as the center of critique gave me a lot to think about how we separate an artist's body from their work.
A love child between THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY (C Pam Zhang) and MEMORY PIECE (Lisa Ko), I devoured EXHIBIT in a day and can't get enough of it!
-
initial thoughts
When is a woman’s body forced on display and when is one asked to hide? This is the theme in EXHIBIT that stands out to me the most. There’s also a religious aspect that I don’t fully grasp.
The writing is very lit fic that reminds me of A LAND OF MILK AND HONEY and the nebulous style has a hint of MEMORY PIECE. I loved how this book made me think about my body, my choices, my fate. Highly recommend to lit fic lovers who enjoy experimental writing styles!
Jin Han, a young photographer at the crossroads of her career, meets the alluring ballerina Lidija Jung at a party. As they become more entangled, both women's lives will never be the same.
EXHIBIT asks the question of when a woman's body is on display (pregnancy, motherhood, gratitude) and when one is asked to hide (sexuality, desire, menstruation, kink). Kwon's poetic prose flows seamlessly between Jin's family stories, her feverish relationship with Lidija, and her disintegrating marriage.
Another fascinating aspect is the juxtaposition between art and the artist. Jin's transformation from an artist who objectifies through lenses to becoming the subject of her own work and Lidija's body/skills as the center of critique gave me a lot to think about how we separate an artist's body from their work.
A love child between THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY (C Pam Zhang) and MEMORY PIECE (Lisa Ko), I devoured EXHIBIT in a day and can't get enough of it!
-
initial thoughts
When is a woman’s body forced on display and when is one asked to hide? This is the theme in EXHIBIT that stands out to me the most. There’s also a religious aspect that I don’t fully grasp.
The writing is very lit fic that reminds me of A LAND OF MILK AND HONEY and the nebulous style has a hint of MEMORY PIECE. I loved how this book made me think about my body, my choices, my fate. Highly recommend to lit fic lovers who enjoy experimental writing styles!