Author: Therese Fowler

Title: Exposure

Publisher: Ballantine Books

In the same way that Jodi Picoult, the best-selling general market author has often used hot-button, ripped-from-the-headlines issues as a springboard for memorable storytelling, Therese Fowler has also fashioned a compelling cautionary tale about the dangers of a fairly recent phenomenon—sexting.

Inspired by her own 19-year-old son's arrest for a "sexting crime," Exposure is an entirely fictional account of teenagers whose poor decisions end up costing them dearly. In light of what her family has been through, however, the emotional impact of Fowler's own experience is felt all the same.

In fact, an inherent passion for what she's writing about, not to mention the story's underlying theme of forgiveness, even in life's darkest moments, is just one of Exposure's many hallmarks.

Unfortunately, what prevents the novel from being a fully satisfying reading experience is the abundance of truly one-dimensional characters.

Instead of feeling like living, breathing humans with the full range of good and not-so-good attributes, everyone from Anthony Winter, the charming 18-year-old protagonist who's raised by a single mother, to his picture-perfect girlfriend Amelia with the requisite rich, snooty parents seem about in touch with reality as your average sitcom character.

Worse yet, are the even simpler conclusions that are drawn by these barely realized characters—especially Amelia's controlling  father, who is basically the cartoonish yin to Anthony's supportive mother's yang. While contrasting characters are a necessary element in every story, Exposure inevitably lacks the necessary shades of gray that make for a more powerful story.

All that said, Exposure is still an admirable attempt at addressing an issue that's pertinent to everyone with a Smartphone. And in the age where even the Disney stars like Miley Cyrus have struggled with inappropriate pictures leaking on the Internet, Exposure is an important reminder about the weight of our decisions—particularly those spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment ones that seem completely rational at the time.

*This article first published May 18, 2011