Envy: A Novel

Outwardly, Ann Rogers seems to be a young woman who has much to be happy about. She is extremely intelligent and perceptive, artistically talented, and if overly thin, she is still quite attractive with her waist-long red gold hair and chiseled features. She has a wonderful husband, Carl, who loves her very much, despite her sometimes bizarre behavior. And she co-owns a successful videotaping business, recording and editing the life celebrations of others - turning them into perfect events in her workshop.In reality, Ann Rogers is seriously ill, both physically and mentally. As a girl she was diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus. She never followed doctors' instructions properly, behaving irresponsibly about eating regularly, testing blood sugar and injecting insulin. It was if she had a death wish. She certainly learned early on the consequences of her behavior. Her guardians, her father and maternal aunt, didn't monitor her as they should have. They were deemed negligent by Ann's doctor, causing an investigation by Child Protection Services when the adolescent girl was rushed to the hospital with severe insulin shock. It was not the first time such an emergency occurred. As an adult, Ann, if anything, has become even less responsible about caring for herself. Along with her potentially lethal carelessness, she exacerbates her poor health with an addiction to crystal meth - speed. She has been warned about the dangers of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes which occurs when small blood vessels in the retina become swollen, or tiny new blood vessels start to grow and block the retina causing the complete loss of sight. Taking drugs, especially speed, is part of a continuing pattern demonstrating Ann's lack of concern for her life. She also steals compulsively from New York City's most expensive department stores. Usually, there is no need or desire to possess the stolen items, so they are often disposed of quickly.Ann's great grandfather was a photographer who lived and worked in Mexico for many years. The most lucrative aspect of his business was photographing the dead, especially children. Back in the late 1800's young children died frequently. They were often carried off by childhood illnesses, and there was a severe meningitis epidemic in his area in 1886. People, even the poorest, wanted memorial photographs of their "angelitos," (little angels). When Ann's father, the famous photographic artist, Edgar Evens Rogers, discovered a portfolio of his forefather's work he was fascinated. He began to photograph young Ann in the nude, in poses of death. She became his primary, in fact, his only subject.Virginia Crane Rogers died giving birth to Ann. Mariette Crane, Virginia's sister, came to care for the infant and never left, becoming like a mother to the girl. The only interest her father showed in his daughter was as a model - her development as a human being ignored. And when her teen body began to fill out, although still quite thin and immature, he lost interest in her altogether. Edgar Rogers committed suicide in 1979, and photographed his own death from a camera set on a tripod with a timer attached. Needless to say, the resulting pictures scarred Ann terribly, not that these were her first scars.New York's Museum of Modern Art has long been planning a retrospective of Edgar Rogers' work. As the exhibit's inauguration date approaches, Ann becomes extremely stressed which causes her to behave more erratically than usual. Many of Rogers' photographs will be on display for the first time. These are the most graphic, where prepubescent Ann is posed as if dead, or in sexually explicit situations. Some of the photos even show self-mutilation as art - art which violated the girl's, and then the woman's life.Katheryn Harrison writes brilliantly, elegantly. Her narrative approaches poetry at times. However, "Exposure" is much more than a novel of psychological suspense. The storyline is devastatingly painful to read. Ann is most certainly over exposed. She was abused - her life, her very privacy invaded from childhood and made public. She was treated like an object by her only living parent. While reading, I often felt as if I were rubbernecking at the site of a horrendous automobile accident. I knew I would be sickened by what I saw, but I could not turn away. I became a voyeur. The characters and the read are so compelling, however, it is almost impossible to put the book down.Since the publication of her memoir, "The Kiss" in 1997, Ms. Harrison and her work have elicited much public attention - of the wrong kind, I think. She wrote about the incestuous affair she had with her father when she was in her 20's. Unfortunately, the autobiographical account probably receives all the scrutiny because of the taboo subject matter, rather than because the prose and the story are of literary merit - which they are. Much of her writing has pathological narcissism, violation, physical suffering and sexual taboo as central themes. Potential readers may find these topics too distasteful to deal with. This is a shame because the author is extremely talented and writes about much that is relevant in today's world. I recommend "Exposure," but suggest that for an initial experience one should begin with another Harrison novel. I am reading "Envy" right now, and find it excellent.JANA

Kathryn Harrison's bewitching "Envy," with its opening scene set at a college reunion, begins as a novel of manners but, after a surprising and upsetting conversation at that reunion, it quickly cascades into a novel of dysfunction.Will, a psychoanalyst, and his wife, Carole, are having marital difficulties caused by the depth of their grief over the death of their young son in a boating accident. Their sex life becomes problematic, and Will begins having sexual fantasies about his female patients.By now, maybe you're thnking, "we've seen all this before." Well, no, you haven't. Ms. Harrison flips you a surprise in every chapter, and she plays around with gender roles, too. The men are chatty and emotional; the women stolid or domineering.And then enters the carniverous sociopath, Jennifer. Pierced, tatooed, with studs in her nose, she's unabashedly predatory. She appears only in two scenes, but they're at the heart of the novel. She's what you'll remember when you've forgotten everything else about this superior effort by a slashingly effective author. But it will probably be quite some time before that happens.Notes and asides. If you have preteens in your household, do not leave this book lying around in plain sight.

Having read all of Harrison's books, I can't recall her ever being overly worried about plot. But "Envy" is stacked with it. It brims over with shocking and explosive twists that fulminate like psychological bombs. This is a very talky novel, and it's true (as others have noted) that it sometimes runs over with therapy talk, but Harrison's characters are so precisely realized and her insights are so sharp you tend to forgive her this minor flaw. There are two characters -- the main character's brother and a young patient of his -- who absolutely deserve their own books. I would personally love to see through their eyes. One is fascinatingly and purely evil and the other has mommy/daddy issues (and maybe just mental-health issues) so astounding she is a spectacular train wreck.This is not Harrison's best book. It's not nearly as tight as, say, "The Seal Wife" or "Exposure." But it's something different and often amazing (and a knowledge of the author's past makes the whole thing run even deeper).

I really enjoyed this book for the look it gives inside a lady who, from the outside, to the casual observer, has it all together. On the inside, she is a mess. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is the ending is a bit abrupt. I wish it had gone a bit further and wrapped up more cleanly. Other than that, this is a rare glimpse into the demons that most of us try to hide.

I've enjoyed several women writers work for the first time recently. Joyce Carol Oates, Joan Didion and Darcy Steinke are a few that come to mind. Kathryn Harrison's work stands up well against these folks with one exception, her ability to close stories in a believable and interesting manner seems to be a notch below.This book was a very good read and could provide another great movie role for Bill Murray but the ending was not on par with the premise. It is my favorite after the Seal's Wife and I hope that she continues to delve into areas of the human condition that seems to have a women only sign on the door.

Interesting approach to this historical topic. If you play the CD's in your car, be prepared to back up and play various tracks over again because you won't want to miss any of the author's imaginative talkes.

Harrison is always a provocative read! Yet you cannot help but empathize with her characters no matter how messed up they may seem. This story sticks with me still

very good read, you can really understand what someoneThat has been abused goes through and how it affectsThem in their every day living.

I really enjoyed this book in particular the competition between the main character and his brother. I felt the author had a real grasp of the competition between brothers even in middle age. The book also very well described the mid life crisis so many men go through realising that their children no longer require their protection and support so resulting in them starting to question their sexual attraction to their partner and their future happiness.I guess that many people reading this review will be looking for "mummy porn" but I feel they will be disappointed as this is not a the book to get the rabbit out once the kids have gone to bed. It does have sex but only where required.

Read it 3 weeks ago and forgotten all about it. Could say more about my memory than the book though!

Very Kathyn Harrison; honest;enthralling.Like I said before: these review RULES are too much to ask.Be satisfied that we customers don't just delete your requests