Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Under the Skin by Michel Faber

21 reviews

vulco1's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was very good and interesting.  Once I picked it up, I just had to finish it.  It's from a very unique perspective and had some interesting things to say.



 

I will also add that the end of the book happens pretty fast. And in a way that just feels... unresolved? Maybe... or maybe the book was driving to a point that I didn't get before.

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

hendriati's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, and Medical trauma

Minor: Murder

ellislilylovestoread's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Body horror, Murder, Kidnapping, Car accident, Rape, and Medical trauma

directorpurry's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Classism, Death, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Body horror, Car accident, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Confinement, Dysphoria, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Animal death

joe_dmh's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Body horror and Confinement

corbinwilde's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The amount of references to the characters tits can be alarming but I guess if you take into consideration the fact that she’s being viewed from the perspective of men that perhaps you’re supposed to feel Icked out by, it begins to make sense. Other than that, the book has left me with a lot of questions & if you like stories that leave you questioning whether or not the characters are likeable or not, in a decently successful philosophical kind of way, then this book really is very gripping. 

I’m annoyed that I knew the “revelation” before reading the book cos damn, if I hadn’t - the build up is sweeeeet.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Rape

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny

mtmarriott's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The film version is one of my all-time favourites, I’d always known it was a loose adaptation but the thematic priorities of both versions are fascinating in their own ways: the film is a disturbing take on loneliness and what it means to be human whereas the novel succeeds in depicting humans as the most alien things in the universe (humans are called vodsels and the alien race are confusingly called “humans” I suppose to underline their normality). The detailed descriptions of what happens to vodsels after Isserley has taken them is rather chilling, recalling to mind what I’m sure it’s like for livestock on animal farms in real life and the industrialisation of abattoirs and slaughterhouses. The ending scenes of the book and film are very different but they reach the same metaphorical idea of Isserley finally becoming one with Earth at last. I prefer the film overall but this is a terrific book!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Murder, and Animal cruelty

mdpenguin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a decent story and well written except that it didn't really seem to commit to saying anything about its themes. Part of it is that the main character doesn't really grow much and is rather bitter and antisocial through the whole thing. But part of it is that it brings up issues of hierarchy and class but doesn't really do anything much with them. It would have been pretty easy to use the conversations with hitchhikers to draw parallels between Isserley's situation and those of her victims. And there's a point at which severe trauma causes issues but doesn't lead to any long-term changes in the way that the character relates to others. I guess you could say that it is a portrait of a person so affected by the brutality of class in her society that she cannot break herself out of a mentality that reinforces it even when isolated from the society and invited to do so by one of her "betters." However, it doesn't give enough for us to really understand why she would entrench herself so heavily into her own subjugation. There's just not enough food for thought in it for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Murder

fictionofthefix's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

quirpele's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Fantastic and devastating book. Deeply funny despite some quite gory sections. Recommend if you liked Animal Farm or The Sparrow. Not many male authors do a woman's POV this well.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Excrement, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit