Under the Skin
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Isserley always drove straight past a hitch-hiker when she first saw him, to give herself time to size him up. She was looking for big muscles: a hunk on legs. Puny, scrawny specimens were no use to her.So begins Michel Faber's first novel: a lone female scouts the Scottish Highlands in search of well-proportioned men and the reader is given to expect the unfolding of some latter-day psychosexual drama. But commonplace expectation is no guide for this strange and deeply unsettling book; small details at first, then more major clues, suggest that something deeply bizarre is afoot. What are the reason's for Isserley's extensive surgical scarring, her thick glasses (which are just glass), her excruciating backache? Who are the solitary few who work on the farm where her cottage is located? And why are they all nervous about the arrival of someone called Amlis Vess?
The ensuing narrative is one of such cumulative, compelling strangeness that it almost defies description--the one thing that can be said with certainty is that Under The Skin is unlike anything else you have ever read. The result is a narrative of enormous imaginative and emotional coherence from a writer whose control of his medium is nearly flawless and who applies the rules of psychological realism to a fictional world that is terrifying and unearthly to the point that the reader's identification with Isserley becomes one of absolute sympathy.
Michel Faber's debut deserves to inherit and expand upon the acclaim bestowed upon his short-story collection Some Rain Must Fall. Under the Skin is a reviewer's nightmare and a reader's dream: a book so distinctive, so elegantly written and so original that all one can say is simply to experience it. An extraordinary first book. -- Burhan Tufail --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Profound and disturbing . . . Faber writes superbly.' --Sunday Times
'The real triumph is Faber's restrained, almost opaque prose. This is a man who could give Conrad a run at writing the perfect sentence.' --Guardian
'A wonderful book - painful, lyrical, frightening, brilliant . . . I couldn't put it down.' --Kate Atkinson
'Under the Skin is a shocking and fantastical take on modern humanity.' --The Week
'It is audacious, fascinating, repellent and quite unlike anything I have ever read.'
--Mail on Sunday
'The real triumph is Faber's restrained, almost opaque prose. This is a man who could give Conrad a run at writing the perfect sentence.' --Guardian
'A wonderful book - painful, lyrical, frightening, brilliant . . . I couldn't put it down.' --Kate Atkinson
'Under the Skin is a shocking and fantastical take on modern humanity.' --The Week
'It is audacious, fascinating, repellent and quite unlike anything I have ever read.'
--Mail on Sunday
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A stunning, intensely clever book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Under the Skin (Paperback)
Under The Skin is a really excellent novel. This book is truly unputdownable. Not only is it a gripping page turner, it is very, very well written. Also it gives the reader an opportunity to examine the issues involved at a higher level if they so wish. I will not explain anything of the plot, as I would not want to spoil anyone else's pleasure in the suspense and intrigue. Enough to say that you are puzzled and surprised right up to the end. Not a word is wasted. Although there are a few red herrings thrown about this is by no means a criticism. Faber draws us in, and then surprises us with another strange dimension. He could have been tempted into politicising or sentimentality, but he keeps his narrative firmly on the rails. The message in the book speaks for itself, and, when I reluctantly finished it, I was very surprised to find myself thinking about a lot more that hitch hikers in Scotland. This book has been placed on my shelf of 'best ever reads', which is still fairly small despite nearly thirty years of reading adult fiction. Thank you Michel Faber, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Addictive reading,
By Gladys Emmanuel (Leicester, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Under the Skin (Paperback)
I was lured into reading this after watching The Crimson Petal and the White on tv which I adored. Faber has a talent for producing addictive stories and this one also had me hooked. The language is richly descriptive and creates a vivid and often horrific picture. I had to put life on hold while I finished this. You will love or hate it but don't miss it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling read,
By
This review is from: Under the Skin (Paperback)
I bought this book because I like thrillers and then I found it was set in a part of the Highlands that I know well. Every time I drive across the Kessock Bridge now I wonder if Isserley's successor is also on the road today! She is a tragic heroine throughout, struggling with the morality of her life and her damaged body, and with no way out. Despite the modern day setting and slightly sci-fi elements, there are timeless issues in this story. I found it truly compelling and stayed up all night reading to the end.
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