The Photographer

December 1, 2020

Delta Dawn photographs the children's parties of rich New Yorkers, wiping away tears and sneers with her deft edits. Working little Natalie's party, she decides that she wants to be part of the glamour and is soon babysitting for Natalie and insinuating herself into the family. Carter's debut has a 150,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2021
Journalist Carter's debut novel follows a Crown Heights family photographer deep into the heart of a family she wants to do much more than photograph. Hired to shoot pictures of Natalie Straub's 11th birthday party, Delta Dawn can't help looking around when she's not peering through the viewfinder. What she sees is a home so perfectly designed and furnished by Natalie's parents, architects Fritz and Amelia Straub, that she never wants to leave. The colors, the fabrics, the light: They're all perfect. It's not just the Straubs' home Delta craves--it's their world. She wants Amelia to see her as a friend and an equal rather than however talented a professional; she wants to take Fritz to bed--though not of course in a way that might antagonize Amelia--and she wants Natalie to love her as much as she loves Natalie's whole family. That very night, Delta begins to insinuate herself into the Straub household, and once she begins, she never looks back, making herself more and more indispensable, yielding only so far to their attempts to set her up with Ian Walker, a blandly eligible associate in their firm, and using her editing skills to document a photographic account of her acceptance into their family circle as elaborate as it is fictional as she assures her readers, "I wanted to support their family. Honestly, I did." When Amelia acknowledges that she's desperate for the second child she can never carry to term, it seems like the perfect opportunity for Delta to consolidate her position in her adoptive family once and for all. Or is it? As sharply focused and mesmerizing as a magic trick and a good deal creepier than most.

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Starred review from March 22, 2021
Delta Dawn, the narrator of Carter’s outstanding debut, is a much-sought-after photographer of children’s fetes among Brooklyn’s artsy set, who has the ability to create picture-perfect moments of connection that never were through the magic of Photoshop and other manipulations. Trouble is, the egocentric young woman approaches life in similarly subjective fashion. Emotionally starved by her own parents, Delta hungers for family—even if it means insinuating herself into someone else’s, like that of her new clients, the Straubs: interior design guru Amelia; Amelia’s scruffily hunky architect hubby, Fritz; and needy 11-year-old birthday girl, Natalie. Using her well-honed manipulative skills, plus a timely offer to babysit, Delta swiftly gains the run of the Straubs’ brownstone, as well as ample opportunity to discover some of their most intimate secrets—which she aims to leverage to her advantage. Delta—arguably the inevitable product of a social media–driven universe where carefully curated images supplant messy reality—becomes increasingly scary as the depth of her obsession with the Straubs becomes apparent. Brace for hold-your-breath suspense from this dazzlingly devious newcomer. Agent: Stephanie Kip Rostan, Levine Greenberg Rostan.

May 1, 2021
Delta Dawn grew up in Florida, where her parents worked as custodians at Disney World, and she suffered both poverty and abuse. Desperate to escape, she is fortunate to be mentored by a respected photographer, moves to New York, and opens her own studio, focusing mainly on children as subjects. When she's asked to take pictures at Natalie Straub's eleventh birthday, she's thrilled: Amelia and Fritz Straub are well-known architects, and their home is stunningly beautiful. She becomes obsessed with the Straubs, insidiously inserting herself into their lives, babysitting Natalie, befriending Amelia, and lusting after Fritz. What she tells them of her own life is built on lies, but they never suspect that Delta is anything but a good family friend. Delta's obsession soon turns dark, especially after learning that the Straubs are desperate to have another child. The sense of impending disaster is palpable, as the suspense and tension grow, and what happens at the end is unexpected and odd. Creepy, dark, and suspenseful, Carter's story features a dramatic plot and a main character who is as tragic as she is revolting. A gripping read.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 7, 2021

DEBUT The brilliant photographer Delta Dawn has built her career by capturing memories for New York's elite. Shooting intimate family moments simultaneously fills her with joy and utter sadness, because it reminds her of what's missing from her own life. When she's hired by Amelia and Fritz Straub to photograph their daughter Natalie's 11th birthday party, Delta immediately becomes attached to the family and harbors a deep desire to become a permanent part of the Straub clan. She befriends Amelia and is soon at the Straubs' complete disposal. Delta's frenzied mental state continuously pushes her own limits, until the moment when she goes too far. Following Delta's perspective throughout the novel allows readers to see just how disturbing and calculating her behavior has become. Amelia and Fritz are irritatingly unaware of Delta's manipulations, only catching on when she reaches a level of strangeness that can't be overlooked. Their self-absorbed decisions and apathetic treatment of Natalie are cringe-worthy, which may cause readers to have little sympathy for the Straubs' predicament. VERDICT Despite the heightened emotional state and slow burn throughout the novel, readers will be disappointed by Carter's sudden, surprisingly dull conclusion.--Carmen Clark, Elkhart P.L., IN

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.