Under the Skin: A Novel Summary and Reviews

Under the Skin: A Novel
by Michel Faber

Under the Skin: A Novel
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Book Summary Information

Author: Michel Faber
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-07-16
ISBN: 0156011603
Number of pages: 319
Publisher: Harvest Books
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780156011600
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of Under the Skin: A Novel

Book Review: A chilly masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars

"Under the Skin" is a cold and coldhearted novel (its setting is a bleak part of Scotland in late winter) that starts off with a woman named Isserley picking up a hitchhiker (she looks for ("a hunk on legs"). It begins as if it is going to be a straightforward horror thriller, but it soon becomes clear that Michel Faber has something quite different in mind. The novel becomes increasingly strange, revealing its secrets slowly as it spirals toward its end, where one final surprise awaits. It would be a disservice to reveal more. Suffice it to say that along with Caitlin R. Kiernan ("Silk," "Threshold") Mr. Faber is at once reinventing the horror novel while at the same time paying homage to its Lovecraftian past.

Despite its grimness, the book is occasionally mordantly funny. It contains elements of the surreal and the satirical, and it leaves you feeling as if the ground were giving way beneath your feet. This insecurity extends even to the 18-question "Reading Group Guide" that is appended to the book. Question 16 reads: "Did your feelings about Isserley change as the novel went on? Can you identify what influenced the way you felt about her?"

Yes and no.

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