REVIEWS

“Melanie Mitzner’s novel is a sensual, slow reveal of love’s narcotic qualities, our inability to swear off of it, even as it weakens us. We’re plunged into the lives of characters bound by family as they free-fall in richly physical and symbolic worlds. The constant low hum of erotic tension sings to the cravings that course through us.”

--April Ford, author of Carousel, 2020 International Book Awards Winner for LGBTQ Fiction, Finalist Foreword Indies, LGBTQ+

“Loving is an art in Melanie Mitzner’s ambitious debut about a discordant family of eclectic artists whose lives are thrown into question with an unexpected death. Told with compassion and intelligence, this poignant tale of love, longing and addiction provides a vivid look into the lives of talented and troubled creators, each yearning for relevance and lasting connection.”
--Christopher DiRaddo, author of The Family Way and The Geography of Pluto

“A joy to read and so hard to say goodbye to this cast of characters. Mitzner utterly succeeds in telling this intricate story of two women, a lesbian poet and a married film editor. Deeply philosophical and profoundly human, one is drawn into the lives of a multi-generational New York family in which making art and living a life well-lived, are investigated with heart, intelligence and passion. Slow Reveal is a quiet and urgent page-turner about devotion and intimacy, and what it means to find love and meaning in the process of becoming increasingly true to oneself.”

--Carolyn Boll, poet, curator, author of Social Dance, a Book of Ballroom Poetry

Are you looking for an enveloping read with complex and layered characters who navigate the waves of identity, art, sexuality, and gender? Set in 1990's NYC, Slow Reveal centers on artists who challenge social mores. Katherine, a film editor, and Naomi, a lesbian poet, have a 10 year extra-marital love affair, Katherine caught between saving her marriage and her passion for Naomi. When she chooses Naomi, her grown daughters confront her, struggling with their own problems related to the unpedictable artistic process and addiction. Mitzner builds a gorgeous and apt parallel between the risky, messy, and unpredictable path of building intimacy and trust in love with the risky, messy and unpredictable path of creating art. The dialogue sings (Mitzner is a renowned playwright) and the story will keep you up at night with his propulsive momentum. --A.S. Brodoff, author The Sleep of Apples, In Many Waters

“As the former Canadian director of French publisher Albin-Michel, I worked on French translations of some very talented authors, including Guy Vanderhaghe, Dan Chaon and David Treuer. When Melanie Mitzner's Slow Reveal was presented to me, I read with great pleasure the literary work. There was much to admire in her narrative skills and the emotional integrity of her characters. Her novel was so captivating I could not put it down.”
--France DesRoches, Former Canadian Director, Albin-Michel

“Slow Reveal lovingly combines the powers of the creative drive and bonds of family, original and chosen. I read this in one sitting, way beyond my bedtime. Brava, Melanie Mitzner.” --Lisa Richland, Former Director, Floyd Memorial Library

Slow Reveal is a rarity: an immensely readable yet psychologically and emotionally complex novel that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. I can’t remember a novel that was so astute about the similarities of art and love. With its beautifully limned characters, its gorgeous prose, and the important questions it poses about how we live our lives and how we express those lives in art, Slow Reveal is a wonderfully engaging and sophisticated novel.
--Ken Harvey, author The Book of Casey Adair

Written as a poet would with highly descriptive prose. New York City is as much a character as the humans inhabiting Slow Reveal, imperfect and loved. Kitt O'Malley, author Balancing Act

Slow Reveal is an intense ride, even searing at times. The emotional life of all the characters is drawn with a compelling intimacy that doesn’t let up. Mitzner’s observations about visual art and poetry and the way being a creator of art affects a person’s life all ring true. Eva Tihanyi, poet Circle Tour and The Largeness of Rescue

I recently had the good fortune of winning two books from a list of 318 books. I spent the next few days looking up the authors and books on Amazon, Goodreads, and The Lesbian Review. Early in the process, I settled on one book in particular, Slow Reveal by Melanie Mitzner. It turns out that Ms. Mitzner is an accomplished screenwriter. Reading the reviews for Slow Reveal certainly piqued my interest.

It’s not often that readers of lesbian fiction are treated to a work of literary fiction so beautiful that it makes you want to tell everyone you know, and everyone you do not know as well. This is a book where you highlight a passage on nearly as many pages as you do not. I admit that it has one more five-star rating because I love this book. I loved it so much that I bought a hard copy to add to my library, as I intend to revisit the story again and again.

This is not one of those glossy, word count, churned out books littered throughout the genre. It is a beautifully told story about the messiness and joy of life.
Please read this book. Mitzner deserves a following worthy of her talents.
--Lisa Hood, Attorney at Law