The book arrived in my mailbox beautifully packaged with rose petals. The feminine touch was evident! The cover of the book was delicate and yet intriguing. I’d promised to review the book, but now I was anxious and eager to read it.
Ashley Weis wrote Exposed: A Novel as a fiction story based on her own testimony of hurt, betrayal and trauma due to the exposure of her husband’s porn addiction. In the book, main character Ally Graham – a marriage counselor – is thrown for a loop when she finds pornography on her husband’s computer. Ally and her husband Jesse have been struggling for some time unsuccessfully to have a baby. Now she wonders if she will ever have that baby, or if she even wants one after being dealt the pain of porn. Should she stay married? Should she quit her job?
Weis does an excellent job of portraying the pain, hurt and all the powerful emotions every woman experiences when she discovers porn in her marriage. As the reader I felt the hurt, the anger and the bitterness.
While Ally was busy dealing with her broken marriage, a young girl named Taylor was unknowingly growing up too fast, trusting in promises of fame and fortune, and giving herself away to be loved. As Taylor’s photo shoots become the very drug Ally’s husband craved, she found herself becoming a broken, worn out-woman longing for hope, love and help from God. Being a porn star wasn’t at all what she dreamed of being, but it was all she was until God gave her a gift growing within her womb. Would she ever be able to love and protect this child? Who would raise this baby?
Weis’ writing is fast-paced, emotionally charged and raw. The images created are vivid, the scenes are realistic, and the story is captivating. I didn’t want to put it down. Sometimes the story became so painful I wanted to stop reading… but couldn’t. I had to read to the end.
Dealing with pornography from both angles – the betrayed wife and the porn star – Weis captures the struggle with the industry as well as with the effect on marriages. With the use of fiction, she gives structure to the healing process and hope to those who are caught in the mess of porn in their own lives.
I highly recommend this book to those who want to better understand what a woman goes through when porn affects her marriage, as well as to those who love a tightly written, emotionally-raw read.
Ashley Weis has a ministry to help women in the shadows of pornography at www.morethandesire.com. You can purchase Exposed: A Novel at her website, Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.
Because of the widespread use of pornography both by church members and non-church members, I have invited Ashley Weis and sex addiction counselor Gerry Pettyjohn to discuss the book and the effect of pornography on wives. Click here to listen to this informative interview.
Ashley and Gerry would love to answer your questions about pornography, steps to healing, protecting your kids from porn or other related questions. Please leave a comment here with your question or send an email with “Exposed Questions” in the subject line. You will either receive a personal email response or we will discuss the questions in a future call.
Everyone who leaves a comment or posts a question will be entered to win a copy of Ashley’s book Exposed: A Novel. Give away deadline is Friday, July 1st at midnight.
About Carla Anne Coroy
Carla Anne can be described in one word: passionate. After just a few minutes with her it is evident that her biggest passion is people. Carla Anne is an accomplished Christian author, speaker and business woman. Her favourite way to spend her free time is hanging out with her 8 kids (an even mix of sons, daughters, and in-laws) and many family “add-ons”. In winter you can find her cheering for her local hockey team and in summer she’ll be on the beach!