The novel, Lifting the Mask, explores the long term effects of trauma on the individual. It is largely a character study but also investigates the complexity of family dynamics. It is also about the healing aspects of creativity; yet reveals its limitations. The accompanying exegesis contextualizes the work within a contemporary literary framework. The use of an unreliable narrator is an important component of the novel, and the exegesis discusses this, in relation to other literature and post-modern theories about the unreliable nature truth. [Note: The novel "Lifting the Mask" is available only in hard bound copy together with the exegesis]