Scars Beneath the Skin [Paperback]

This is a tightly written, pacy read which draws you quickly into an engaging plot. The style is crisp and confident. The author has a wonderful eye for detail. His descriptions are meticulously observed and, cumulatively, build a strong and believable sense of place. The action moves from Germany to the UK and back. I felt, though, that there could be more to differentiate the German settings, or to characterise Karl as more distinctly Germanic when he is in the UK. The purpose of this multinationalism does not become fully clear until the end of the book, when not only the plotline but the wider issues of violence, terrorism and protest are thrown into sharp perspective.

The lead character, Karl, psychologically damaged following his experiences in the London tube bombing, is sensitively portrayed. His emotional journey from numb aftershock, through depression, lonliness, withdrawal through to acceptance is told through his interactions (or lack of them) with the other characters. No brooding, self-indulgent navel-gazing here.

The female characters ring less true. I found myself sympathising with the irritable, neglected former girlfriend, which I suspect wasn't what the author intended. When salvation for Karl appears in the form of Lucia, a pneumatic, sexually assertive, Italian bombshell, I wondered if we had strayed into an erotic fantasy novel. Why would a woman so drop-dead gorgeous bother to spend time with a no-hoper like Karl? Either she could see something in him that we couldn't, or else she herself had issues and needs (other than sexual) that Karl in some way fulfilled. Her character, dynamic though she already is, I felt, cried out for more development, more backstory, more rounding in places other than her bustline.

The blurb describes this book as a love story, but it doesn't fit typically into that genre. There is simply no URST. A little conflict in Karl and Lucia's relationship would rack up the emotional stakes.

This is a powerful psycholgical drama set against major world events which have affected us all. If it helps us to understand the dreadful aftermath of these events we should read it for that reason. And because it is a thoroughly good read.

I feel compelled to write a review because this is a book that deserves to be well known and well read. Scars Beneath The Skin is a vivid story which handles the impact of terrorism in a frighteningly human way.
The protagonist, Karl Dresner, is an everyman character who is caught up in a terrorist bombing in London. While I cannot be sure of the author's intention in making his hero German it proved to be an excellent device to reinforce a sense of detachment from the familiar. Because of the consistent strength of writing the reader is drawn into that dreadful world of isolation - loneliness within the crowd.
The 'resurrection' of Karl Dresner is slow and sometimes awkward and all the more beleivable as a result but the final chapters of the story offer one of the most tense and thrilling endings I have read in a long time. This really is a wonderfully executed tale.

I won this book on Twitter and A J Duggan kindly sent me a signed copy. The author's inspiration for the novel is intriguing - he was in Manchester in 1996 when the city centre was bombed. Until this happened, Duggan had no desire to write a novel. Duggan works in the computer industry and he failed his English O-level - which makes his success all the more refreshing. He has succeeded where many, many aspiring writers have failed by getting this first novel published, and from what I can gather, he did it the difficult way - without contacts and without an agent.

Scars Beneath the Skin is described as a 'dark modern love story'. Which it is. Karl Dresner, the main character, gets caught up in a bomb blast in London and nearly dies. This novel is his recovery, his journey back to life after existing in a lonely 'private abyss'. Enter Lucia, the Italian woman Dresner meets and falls in love with.

The novel moves between Germany and Britain, the reason for which becomes clear as the novel reaches its conclusion. This is one of the novel's strengths; Duggan has a gift for creating a sense of place, for crisp and vivid detail, the tiny observations which bring a moment to life. I also enjoyed Duggan's dialogue and his direct style, which is without pretention.

However, I do think that Lucia's character lacks a bit of depth and, in my opinion, occasionally drifts towards a fantasy figure. There is a lot of sex in this novel, which I don't have a problem with, but I think at times the balancing and placing of these scenes is perhaps a little too much. And I think the novel might have benefited from a bit more back-story.

However, criticism aside, this gritty love story reflects a world which we all live in; a paranoid place where suspected terrorist attacks are frequently reported across the world's media. I think this is an interesting and relevant novel, written by a very promising author. In my copy of the book Duggan wrote that he hoped I would find the story entertaining. I certainly did. I hope he continues to write and I look forward to reading his next book.