At 47, Mr. F?s working life on London?s Skin Lane is one governed by calm, precision and routine. So when he starts to have frightening, recurring nightmares, he does his best to ignore them. The images that appear in his dream are disturbing ? Mr. F can't for the life of him think where they have come from. After all, he's a perfectly ordinary middle-aged man. As London?s crooked backstreets begin to swelter in the long, hot summer of 1967, Mr. F?s nightmare becomes an obsession. A chance encounter adds a face to the body that nightly haunts him, and the torments of his sweat-drenched nights lead him ? and the reader ? deeper into a terrifying labyrinth of rage, desire and shame. Part fairy-tale, part compelling evocation of a now-lost London, Neil Bartlett's critically-acclaimed third novel is his fiercest piece of writing yet: cruel, erotic, and tender.
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Review
`A potent fable about the destructive power of lust and an unsettling psychological study in the manner of Patricia Highsmith' -- Daily Telegraph
`Brilliantly eerie... constantly surprising... captures vividly the atmosphere of the changing London of the 60s... But it's in his depiction of a specific kind of helpless and fearful love that Bartlett excels' -- Guardian
`I read Skin Lane with one eye closed out of sheer animal terror. Then, unimaginably, it brought me to tears; what a work of art -- so unexpected and heartbreaking and lovely' -- Armistead Maupin
`Skin Lane welds itself to your hands from first to last. Textured, teeming with menace and, at the end, deeply moving, it is an extremely fine piece of writing' -- The Times
`Brilliantly eerie... constantly surprising... captures vividly the atmosphere of the changing London of the 60s... But it's in his depiction of a specific kind of helpless and fearful love that Bartlett excels' -- Guardian
`I read Skin Lane with one eye closed out of sheer animal terror. Then, unimaginably, it brought me to tears; what a work of art -- so unexpected and heartbreaking and lovely' -- Armistead Maupin
`Skin Lane welds itself to your hands from first to last. Textured, teeming with menace and, at the end, deeply moving, it is an extremely fine piece of writing' -- The Times
Book Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2007
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First Sentence
Since this story is to be so much about bodies, I should probably start by describing Mr F's as well as I can. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Since this story is to be so much about bodies, I should probably start by describing Mr F's as well as I can. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book a most enthralling and moving read and my excitement and enjoyment increased as my reading progressed. What a joy to have this book to return to after a day at work. The theme of deeply thwarted, hidden desire in the hot summer of 1967 is beautifully handled and convincing. The ending is moving and profound. Overall, a very impressive novel quite unlike anything I have read before.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Skin Lane is very quiet, and very profound. It tells the story of Mr F, who works in Skin Lane making fur coats. His is a very banal and orderly existance, until one night he dreams (a thing he never does) of a naked boy hanging in his bathroom. The boy in question, nicknamed 'Beauty', works with Mr F, who becomes obsessed with him. It it extremely moving and there are minor references and parallels to Beauty and the Beast. The ending is astounding, as is everything that leads up to it. Bartlett has a very eerie way of connecting past events with the present. This book is definately worth reading!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a wonderful evocation of the 1960s, an industry now gone and brilliantly illustrated. Neil Bartlett really captures the spirit of what it is to love someone who will never love you back. The suspense is great, the story brilliantly crafted. This is one of my favourite books of all time. I have recommended it to several friends and they all agree it is an excellent book. I was captivated by it. Neil Bartlett hasn't written many novels but they are all worht checking out. I am eagerly waiting his next... There is one bit where your heart will literaly be in your mouth!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Psychological Drama with A Mystery Inside It
Skin Lane is a short masterpiece, a compelling psychological drama with all of the page-turning attributes of a good mystery. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mary W. Walters
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully eery and well written
Although a strange read, Skin Lane is a thoughtful and sensitive insight into the world of an individual; into his thoughts,mind and dreams. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Dolly
4.0 out of 5 stars
In no way predictable
This book is set in the late 60s in London and follows Mr F, a middle aged man living a very solitary existence. Read more
Published 17 months ago by J. Willis
5.0 out of 5 stars
stunning
Stunning, moving , scary , sexy , sad ... great characters and London really feels alive . I really could not praise this book more . Read more
Published 18 months ago by cartoon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gave me the creeps
A tight little story with some genuinely shocking page-turning moments. The style is little different and perhaps the author 'commentary' here and there will annoy (I personally... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Kritz
4.0 out of 5 stars
First Select Your Skin
This is a sad and beautiful book. The descriptions of London and the fur trade were well written and full of interesting detail. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2010 by Troy Beal
4.0 out of 5 stars
A chiller to make your flesh creep ...
Mr F has worked for 33 of his 47 years in the fur trade in 60s London and is a master cutter who takes pride in his work. Read more
Published on 12 April 2010 by Annabel Gaskell
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Emotional Tale and Fraught Thriller All In One... Marvellous
Really this is the tale of a turning point in the life of Mr. F (don't you just want to read more because of the mystery behind the name? Read more
Published on 11 April 2010 by Simon Savidge Reads
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sumptuous as mink....
Lovely book; slow yet lyrical and a heart-breaking insight into the life of a gay man living without the freedoms we take so much for granted in this day and age. Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2008 by Michael Hodgson
5.0 out of 5 stars
So good!
I had completely forgotten how beautifully Bartlett writes! After 2 pages of "Skin Lane" I was gripped; the first "here it comes" sent the proverbial shivers up and down my spine. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2008 by M. Klingenberg
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