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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Obvi I cried at the end. This book was ahead of it's time. Written in 1995, it could have been published yesterday which, to me, is the hallmark of great fiction.
It was incredibly haunting and the end, even though you vaguely know what happens, had a few surprises. I was very shocked.
Absolutely beautiful.
It was incredibly haunting and the end, even though you vaguely know what happens, had a few surprises. I was very shocked.
Absolutely beautiful.
Easily a favorite. Dark, comical and sexual; if you loved Lolita you will at least like this
It's an excellent book critically. In terms of my enjoyment as the reader, sometimes the more mundane details grew tedious. As much as I really find any story's characters' everyday lives and "mundane" observations very much an important component, I grew bored every so often with these characters'. Likely because I am not someone who can appreciate much about Kansas besides its nature. Additionally, I think the POVs could've just been limited to Neil's and Brian's.
The graphic and unflinching depictions of child sexual abuse and underage prostitution didn't impact the way I feel about the book; I *really* have to admire Heim for it. I don't think most readers will stomach it well, especially without being prepared for it by seeing the film beforehand. In all honesty, this is one of those rare times where I appreciate the film adaptation more than the book, it really expertly conveys the bleakness, the melancholy, the loneliness, the dreaminess severed into frames and intercepted by the ugly reality of things, but there are certain elements I think the film should've included from the source material, such as the last paragraph, which I personally think served better as a last note than the bad monologue at the end of the film. It's terribly, terribly sad. Even though I felt restless at the end of the book, the last chapter nearly made up for all of the tediousness.
One note I do want to make is an observation that is just now settling on me after having rewatched the film. Those genius divides that the editor placed in the film, as well as the flashback sequence at the end, depict so well something unsaid--Neil's longing and bittersweet memories of the "love" vs. Brian's dreamlike, disoriented blankness at the hands of the trauma. There's no better way to convey the feelings experienced as the viewer, and as someone from a background of abuse feeling secondhand empathy, than bleak melancholy.
The graphic and unflinching depictions of child sexual abuse and underage prostitution didn't impact the way I feel about the book; I *really* have to admire Heim for it. I don't think most readers will stomach it well, especially without being prepared for it by seeing the film beforehand. In all honesty, this is one of those rare times where I appreciate the film adaptation more than the book, it really expertly conveys the bleakness, the melancholy, the loneliness, the dreaminess severed into frames and intercepted by the ugly reality of things, but there are certain elements I think the film should've included from the source material, such as the last paragraph, which I personally think served better as a last note than the bad monologue at the end of the film. It's terribly, terribly sad. Even though I felt restless at the end of the book, the last chapter nearly made up for all of the tediousness.
One note I do want to make is an observation that is just now settling on me after having rewatched the film. Those genius divides that the editor placed in the film, as well as the flashback sequence at the end, depict so well something unsaid--Neil's longing and bittersweet memories of the "love" vs. Brian's dreamlike, disoriented blankness at the hands of the trauma. There's no better way to convey the feelings experienced as the viewer, and as someone from a background of abuse feeling secondhand empathy, than bleak melancholy.
Out of the realm of what I usually read but it was a good book. I wish there was some more closure but I guess that doesn't always happen in life.
Well there we are then, to say I liked Mysterious Skin doesn't feel right somehow, it's not a book one likes or dislikes as such, it's different/more than that for me- gripping, sordid, unsettling and a restraint that highlights the disturbing unpleasantness of what Brian and Neil have gone through.
The way in which the abuse has affected them and the fallout from that is shown in unflinching but not over-stressed detail that makes it the more uncomfortable and necessary to read. Another plus point is the lack of easy answers at the end, no crisp clean resolution with consequences, it just is.
Recommended, but qualified for sexual/child abuse and assault.
The way in which the abuse has affected them and the fallout from that is shown in unflinching but not over-stressed detail that makes it the more uncomfortable and necessary to read. Another plus point is the lack of easy answers at the end, no crisp clean resolution with consequences, it just is.
Recommended, but qualified for sexual/child abuse and assault.
I always feel weird recommending this book or film to people because it is so disturbing. But it is also beautiful, heartbreaking and an important look at trauma and how we deal with it. I'm also amazed that I like the movie as much as the book, that rarely happens.