Exhibit is a fascinating exploration of art, identity, and the complexities of human connection through the lens of a Korean-American woman.

It’s about a photographer, Jin, who meets Lidija, a brilliant ballerina, at a party. Jin is struggling in her marriage to her college boyfriend Phillip, as well as her own sense of who she is. Lidija is on a break, injured but on hiatus from her ballet company under more mysterious circumstances. Both creative people, they’re drawn to each other, and spend the party talking all night.

Through her candid and introspective prose, Kwon invites readers to consider their own beliefs and assumptions, challenging them to interrogate the stories they tell themselves about who they are and the choices they have or want to make.

This is a slower paced book that reaps its rewards the more you continue to read - it’s a philosophical novel that’s less about plot about more about deeper life themes, like whether to have a child or not.

I enjoyed this discussion especially, because it’s not often discussed in books. Recommend for when you want something slower.

Finally a read that I enjoyed. Not sure if the thought about the shortness of the book helped but I almost flew through the book, while also re reading certain paragraphs to grasps the complexity of the dynamics of the characters. The storyline about the two women is very interesting and the way R.O. Kwon writes leave so much to be interpreted and swayed in different directions which makes it very intense.

// exhibit

exhibit explores the desires of an artist and the crossroads of where she is at in her work and in her life. it explores the complexities of art vs artist. it asks ‘how brightly can you burn before you light your life on fire?’

sadly this didn’t land for me. the poetic prose is the kind that either hits and encourages connection or misses and comes off disjointed. unfortunately it was the latter for me. i didn’t feel connected to the characters and the pacing didn’t work for me.

A story filled with desire and exploration between photographer Jin and injured ballerina Lidija who meet at a party hosted for artists alike. Jin is immediately captivated by Lidija and the two spend their first meeting conversing about their lives, their troubles, needs and desires. Jin is married to college sweetheart Phillip however has fantasies that he can’t fulfil and vice versa. She then turns to Lidija and the two women develop a hidden relationship.

The writing is very lyrical but at times can be challenging to read. The book explores a lot of important themes especially regarding women’s rights and their rights to make decisions pertaining to their body such as pregnancy, abortion and sexuality. Racism and religion are also reflected throughout the book as well as the topic of how Asian women are objectified by white men.

I liked how the author added the kisaeng story to the plot as it portrayed aspects of her cultural history (although I did find it somewhat confusing with how it was formatted into the book at times but it did lead me into researching what a kisaeng was).

The ending was a bit lacklustre for me as I did want to know more about what eventually happened between Jin and Lidija and Jin and Phillip but otherwise a solid literary piece. I actually didn’t realise that it was going to have BDSM elements but I enjoyed it and it was done tastefully.

Thank you to netgalley and Hachette AUS + NZ for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨