In November 1960, Lily Callington, a young wife and mother, buries a briefcase in her suburban garden. She believes that, by doing so, she's protecting her family. When her husband, Simon, is arrested for breaching the Official Secrets Act, Lily tries to maintain order in a world where secrets are buried everywhere and no one can be trusted. Set in London during the Cold War, Exposure is flawlessly evocative of the period. Dunmore uses multiple third-person points of view to allow the story to unfold seamlessly, but Lily's perspective is the most intriguing. A German-Jewish refugee who came to London as a child during the second World War, she has done all she can to assimilate into British culture. Wonderful characterisation and a twisty plot make Exposure a compelling read, combining the page-turning elements of a spy thriller with the insight of a talented novelist whose compassion for her characters navigates to their core.
