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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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual harassment
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
jelmervdl's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
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
gasmasquerade's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Overview: Under the Skin is a provacative and challenging novel, beautifully written to capture both the majesty of it's serene setting and the complexity of undefinable emotions that simmer throughout the book. It is a great allegory for class struggle, gender inequality, and animal rights. Nothing like the movie but still very much worth the read.
PROS
• Beautiful writing - The descriptions of the environment are captivating and paint immaculate pictures, without being over the top or needlessly wordy. Same goes for descriptions of people's emotions and actions, beautifully written in a way you really could picture what people were feeling and thinking.
• Complex main character who oscillates between being sympathetic and abhorrent. Her struggle with her own sense of value in a world that does not value her is painfully relatable.
• Nailed the Human Experience - the descriptions of people's emotions and reactions were relatable, believable, and really captured the nuance of the human experience.
CONS
• Slow story - I think the slowness and the repetition capture the slow tedious experience of the protagonist, but at times I found myself wondering, "is this going anywhere?"
• Abrupt Ending - I don't HATE the ending, but I do feel a bit like the author didn't know how to end the story and so it rushes to a close quite quickly. It's the fastest part of the book and I left feeling it wasn't quite...done?
• Deliberate Obfuscation - a personal pet peeve of mine is when everyone in a book knows something but the author won't say it so you'll be sure to keep turning the page. Feels a wee bit manipulative.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's not pleasant, but it's beautiful, and its discussions about class, gender, and taking our environment for granted are relevant now more than ever. Highly recommend.
PROS
• Beautiful writing - The descriptions of the environment are captivating and paint immaculate pictures, without being over the top or needlessly wordy. Same goes for descriptions of people's emotions and actions, beautifully written in a way you really could picture what people were feeling and thinking.
• Complex main character who oscillates between being sympathetic and abhorrent. Her struggle with her own sense of value in a world that does not value her is painfully relatable.
• Nailed the Human Experience - the descriptions of people's emotions and reactions were relatable, believable, and really captured the nuance of the human experience.
CONS
• Slow story - I think the slowness and the repetition capture the slow tedious experience of the protagonist, but at times I found myself wondering, "is this going anywhere?"
• Abrupt Ending - I don't HATE the ending, but I do feel a bit like the author didn't know how to end the story and so it rushes to a close quite quickly. It's the fastest part of the book and I left feeling it wasn't quite...done?
• Deliberate Obfuscation - a personal pet peeve of mine is when everyone in a book knows something but the author won't say it so you'll be sure to keep turning the page. Feels a wee bit manipulative.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's not pleasant, but it's beautiful, and its discussions about class, gender, and taking our environment for granted are relevant now more than ever. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
corbinwilde's review
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.
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
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