"Helen Dunmore delivers a deceptively simple masterpiece, a new take on the lives of the men and -particularly - the women caught up in the cold war ... Exposure is magnificent" -- Cole Moreton * Independent on Sunday *
"Dunmore packs an impressive amount on to a compact canvas. Full of convincing detail, the novel is as much about sexuality in the age of the Chatterley ban as about Whitehall skulduggery ... A dramatic mix of domesticity and derring-do ... Like many of the best spy novels, Exposure sets out to unsettle Britain's view of itself." * Sunday Telegraph *
"Under its smooth, naturalistic surfaces, Exposure has a tightly wrought plot gripping as any thriller. But it is the union of this plot with complex, challenging characters that makes the book such a surprising and fulfilling read...will haunt you for months, if not years." -- Kate Clanchy * Guardian *
"It is an intriguing set-up, and with Dunmore at its helm this tale of divided loyalties never lets up for a minute ... Dunmore is such a class act ... she sticks to the human essentials of her story, does not over-complicate things, and comes up trumps yet again." * Mail on Sunday *
"Hers are expert hands at turning 20th-century history into gripping fiction." * The Times *
"Exposure succeeds as a Cold War thriller as well as a psychological drama. It deals with some lurid events, but evokes the texture of time ... It offers in fact what Dunmore does best: a story of "desperate urgency, cloaked in the everyday"" -- David Grylls * Sunday Times *
"One of our most outstanding writers, Helen Dunmore has drawn inspiration from the classic spy novel for her latest book ... While it has all the thrill and menace of a John Le Carre novel, Dunmore is more interested in the personal ... An atmospheric read full of vivid characters - if you only buy one book this month make it this one." * Good Housekeeping, Book of the Month *
"The danger with `literary thrillers' is simple: the more literary a story is, the less thrilling it can be. There's a balance to be found, and Dunmore expertly weights both sides. She revels in layers of concealment. Beautiful poetic phrases, quite startling at times, enliven the eye and the mind." * Spectator *
"Helen Dunmore's subtle tale of espionage and fear has a refreshingly human scale... It is, in many ways, a romance where salvation comes through a late, unexpected and generous act of love." * Independent *
"Dunmore's treatment is distinctive. Her work as both a poet and a novelist, is characterised by its rich sensuality and the stark emotional truths at its core. This sensibility, along with the small domestic and personal details at which she excels, transcend genre..." -- Catherine Taylor * Financial Times *
"Exposure is the sort of winter read you hanker for...the period is so meticulously re-created that you almost hear the hiss of the gas streetlamps" -- Melissa van der Klugt * The Times *
"An intricately observed and emotionally powerful Cold War thriller that combines subtlety and complexity to create a deeply satisfying and moving book" -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express, S Magazine *
"Dunmore is one of our best modern historical novelists and fans of her previous books will be eagerly awaiting this new one. [Exposure is] set during the Cold War and follows a woman determined to protect her family against the odds." * Metro *
"Dunmore is a very astute and skilful novelist... Exposure is as good as anything she has written; and that's very good indeed" -- Alan Massie * The Scotsman *
"A novel about belonging, loneliness, love and the idea of home.... Exposure is a fine addition to the shelves of cold war literature" -- Stephanie Merrit * Observer *