Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Under the Skin by Michel Faber

23 reviews

nairijan's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

An incredibly beautiful work of sci-fi, Faber really creates a story that does aptly get under your skin. In following the exploited and alien Isserley, the novel wonderfully tackles themes of worker exploitation, misogyny, and the daily struggle of living in an uncanny manner for the human reader. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence

scifi_rat's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Car accident, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, and Rape

arenas_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Violence, Sexual assault, and Blood

tinycocoapop's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

taibhse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual assault

ketreads's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.5

So, I've been putting this review off for a few days (weeks) not because I didn't like the book.. but because my feelings on this book are complicated!

I have not watched the famous movie, that Scarlet Johansson stars in, but it is how I recognised this book when I found it in a local charity shop.

In this story we follow our main character of Isserley who spends her days driving around the rural motorway roads to find and pick-up hitchhikers. Why does she only pick up male hitchhikers? Or better yet, why does she pick them up at all?
The set-up: Mysterious!
Consider me intriugied.

Faber does a fantastic job of creating such a pensive yet distinctly uneasy rythm to the story. We follow Isserley with each hitchhiker she picks up, and then switching to the hitchhiker's PoV as they first encounter Isserley, showing off their inner most human thoughts and desires.
Without getting more into spoiler territory, while some of the hitchhikers boarder on tropes, Isserley herself is one of the most complex and tragic villians you'll ever meet. With each new chaper, the realisation and horror as we realise just how far Isserley will go; has gone is impactful to the fullest extent. 

While I can't say I loved this book, I think it successfully achieves everything the author intended to do with Isserley and her story. I'm not even sure I could recommend it, but I will say that I was propelled by a morbid curiosity to complete this book and I'm glad that I did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual harassment

amymalone's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

faynebrio's review

dark mysterious fast-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

liked it. it was abundantly clear a man wrote it most the time ! but whatever 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Car accident

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault

veliana's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Blood, Classism, Medical trauma, Gore, Vomit, Kidnapping, Body shaming, and Death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Confinement, Cursing, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Pregnancy, Animal death, Drug use, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Terminal illness

melitrophium's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Lost one star because you can definitely tell it was written by a man from the way the protagonist is described (and the random bisexual comment??), but the reading is worthwhile 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual assault and Car accident

Minor: Death