Under the Skin

by Michel Faber

Book Overview

In this haunting, entrancing novel, Michel Faber introduces us to Isserley, a female driver who cruises the Scottish Highlands picking up hitchhikers. Scarred and awkward, yet strangely erotic and threatening, she listens to her hitchhikers as they open up to her, revealing clues about who might miss them if they should disappear. Under the Skin takes us on a heart-thumping ride through dangerous territory--our own moral instincts and the boundaries...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156011603
• ISBN13: 9780156011600
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Unforgettable!

No matter what your favorite reading genre is you will love this mind bending adventure into an unforgettable world of survival. This highly original story will increase your respect and empathy for your fellow living creature her on Earth.

This is a great first novel

. The story telling is strong and fluid and the twists and turns caught me off guard, which is not easy to do. I recommend reading it without any preconceived ideas about plot direction and ending. If you don't normally read first works, this will be a good exception to your rule.

Light enough for a summer read, deep enough for winter.

In his excellent debut novel, Faber offers readers a compelling story that is both a quick, easy beach-towel read and a serious exploration of alienation, desire and what it means to be human. An artful balance -- and as a writer, one worth emulating.From the reader's perspective, the first part of the book puts us in the position of detective. Who is Isserly, and why is she driving the roads of Scotland looking for men? Without revealing anything of the plot (this is one book that you should enter completely uninformed), Faber lays down a series of clues and information that easily lead us into creating an image of this woman and her motivations -- only to have this image completely exploded when the revelation comes. In some ways, it reminded me of the movie "The Sixth Sense": an interesting, compelling story that gets turned upside-down, forcing us to confess that we were given all the information we needed, but we came to the wrong conclusions anyway.After the key revelations, the remainder of the story skirts the edges of simplistic, moralistic allegory. However, the author appears to be aware of this risk, and turns the remainder of the book into a serious study of the main character's key conflict. His writing is fluid, descriptive and highly imaginative throughout, so our interest in the story and the characters is maintained despite some of the heavy emotion and inner turmoil.I realize that this review may sound a bit obtuse, simply because I am so concerned about not revealing details that may ruin a new reader's enjoyment and astonishment. Go out and read this book yourself -- it's worth it.

Under the Skin gets Under YOUR skin!

If you like psychological thrillers that make your brain actually "think" while you read, then you'll definitely enjoy this book. It takes you on a very detailed and descriptive journey through the thoughts of a struggling woman named Isserley, as well as through the minds of the hitchhikers she picks up on the A-9. This book deserves a 5 out of 5 because of the imagery and imagination, the story line, and the emotion. Michel Faber is a very compelling author who definitely knows how to mix imagery and imagination together. When he describes his characters he not only states the obvious things like hair color or height, but he gives the reader and overview of their personality. When you read through the book it feels like you're almost there because you can "feel" the moist air on the beach, or you can "hear" the rain puttering on Isserley's car windows. Faber's creativity is awesome because he uses it to creep on the reader when they least expect it, and when it hits them, they're absolutely shocked! This particular story line is very interesting and unique. If Faber were to write side notes for every page in the book it would seriously take so much away from the reader's own imagination to where the story is going. It's amazing how this book makes you think that it's all about a very strange yet appealing woman who picks up hitchhikers, and yet it turns completely around to where she's actually on a mission to find the right "specimen." Under The Skin is a science fiction/adventure story tied into one, but you can't even tell. As you dig deeper and deeper into the story, you can't really stop yourself from reading because the sentences pull you out from your world and into the story's own world. Faber's words leaves you pondering about what they mean in relation to the story and it leaves you saying, "Is that what I think it is?" Faber does an excellent job in portraying Isserley's character. By the end of the book, you already understand who she is and why she is feeling like she's feeling. On the outside, she holds her emotions because she does not want to seem weak, but when no one is around she cries herself to sleep in her cottage because of her job. Isserley was yanked out of the slums in the neighborhood to work for Vess Incorporated. She knows who she is inside, but she never wants to let anyone get to know her. She is an emotional, strong, and beautiful person who struggles with her confusion and with her own emotions.

I won't describe any descriptors...

....but I will say this is a superbly crafted, wonderfully written, deeply affecting book whose afterglow lingers long after the last page is finished. What is Under the Skin about? Revealing too much of the story, outside the context of Faber's expert writing and original world-view, would risk characterizing the book as just another strange, pulpy mix of horror and science fiction. No question, this is not a book for the squeamish. But it is, no question, a work of literature. The beauty that emerges in the face of brutality is not only breathtaking -- it is breath-giving, too. Few books leave a reader with an honest, unsentimentalized sense of compassion and gratitude for life on Earth. This book is one of them.

Moody, atmospheric manifesto for vegetarianism!

This debut novel is stunningly well-written. The author is able to carry off a barely credible storyline through convincing, evocative prose. The story begins with a 'woman' driving along the A9 road, in the middle of Scotland, searching for well-built male hitchhikers. This is not the story of a crazed nymphomaniac however - it is much more brilliant than that. I want to avoid giving away too much here but Isserley, the 'woman' has a very different reason indeed for 'hunting' these men. This novel enters the realms of science-fiction but it never sacrifices powerful insight into the human condition, the beauty of our world (here the wonders of the Scottish highlands are brilliantly captured), and will make you think long and hard about any perception you may have of us as the 'superior' race. The story should grip you until the end. Once you have discovered the main premise of the story you fear that it may tail off but it never does, right up to a dramatic ending which is well-judged and somehow appropriate.