South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Behind the image is a chilling reality in ‘The Photographer’
Mary Dixie Carter’s affinity for creating a multi-layered character and an unnerving plot soars in her sizzling debut “The Photographer,” which introduces Delta Dawn, whose specialty is capturing children on film. Delta — yes, she was named after the song — is both sympathetic and sinister; compassionate and cruel; appealing and appalling. You may not want Delta in your house, and you would be leery of her friendship, but spending time with her on the page is worth the time.
Delta photographs upscale children’s parties in Brooklyn, roaming around the youngsters and the homes, mostly “invisible” to her employers. “I’m performing a function, and they don’t take in the degree to which I see and hear what they say and do.”
She makes that “inconspicuousness” work for her as she creates perfect moments on film, most of which didn’t exist in reality. Expertly used Photoshop, a bit of colorization and other manipulation, and those grumpy children and uninvolved parents merge into the picture of perfection. The clients love the photo albums Delta pulls together. What they don’t know is at night she takes the best photographs and digitally inserts herself in the pictures that she displays around her small apartment. There’s Delta helping a child blow out his candles, replacing the wife kissing her husband or greeting their guests — “a relief from the vast emptiness” of her life.
Then Delta is hired to photograph the birthday
party of 11-yearold Natalie Straub, the neglected daughter of interior designer Amelia and her architect husband, Fritz. Now those bogus photographs no longer satisfy Delta’s emotional needs. She demands to be part of their family, beginning
with babysitting, running errands and learning the Straubs’ secrets. Delta’s obsession grows when she finds a way that may let her ingratiate herself in the family for life while her fixation grows more chilling.
Carter, a journalist, takes the unreliable narrator to a new level as Delta’s conversations are loaded with lies. Carter wisely doles out hints about Delta’s background so the reader can only guess at what trauma shaped her. As a child she lived in housing at Disney World, where her parents were janitors, but Delta saw only dark corners.
“The Photographer” puts a new talent in focus. And, a bit of trivia — Carter is the daughter of the late actress Dixie Carter.