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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
A friend gave me this book well after I'd seen the movie. There's some rather difficult material here, which goes beyond the level it did in the movie, ranging from pedophilia, to prostitution, to sexual assault, among other things. It's challenging material for a variety of reasons--mostly because of the harsh things people do to one another. Beyond that, Heim pushes readers to think about why people react entirely differently to the same occurrences, including forms of trauma--why one person might block out events, while another shrugs them off, or even embraces them--and how those may all be, for lack of a better term, defense mechanisms. Not to provide an overly-tidy wrap-up, but the characters here are wounded, not destroyed, still trying to figure out how to connect to others, and how to process their truth, even as they often hide it from themselves. If you're willing to engage with this material, it's rewarding in it's willingness to go deep and dark, and still stay hopefully human.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After watching the movie, I knew what to expect from the book… but that didn’t stop it from absolutely wrecking me all over again. I know I’m gonna be thinking about this book for weeks, like I was with the movie, because it’s just so good and so terribly sad and messed up and it’s had such an indescribable effect on me. I will say I’m glad I watched the movie first, because the shock was more profound when you find out what really happened to Brian towards the end when the blue light shines on him, but in the book it’s kinda obvious from like half way in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 / 5
Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim is a book that inspires such a feeling of dread; powerful, curious, and very disturbing. It's a feeling I've only encountered in titles like Young Mungo and A Little Life - which all deal with similar subject matters. Mysterious Skin, however, touches on these traumas the most graphically of the three.
The trigger warnings should absolutely be taken seriously, as detailed on page CSA occurs in several instances. I do not recommend this book unless you seek out stories that make you deeply uncomfortable. Seriously. Don't pick up this book only to rate it lowly for the subject matter, as you have ample warnings beforehand.
Despite the dark moments, I quite enjoyed this book. The foreboding and discomforting feelings make for a very unique reading experience, and Heim's writing felt austere yet beautiful throughout. The way the author portrays the different manifestations of trauma was tragic and brutally honest. I'd like to watch the movie adaption and possibly update here with how I feel about it once I do.
Update: movie was on par with the book and was pretty much a 1:1 adaption. Movie had less of an open ending than the book though.
Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim is a book that inspires such a feeling of dread; powerful, curious, and very disturbing. It's a feeling I've only encountered in titles like Young Mungo and A Little Life - which all deal with similar subject matters. Mysterious Skin, however, touches on these traumas the most graphically of the three.
The trigger warnings should absolutely be taken seriously, as detailed on page CSA occurs in several instances. I do not recommend this book unless you seek out stories that make you deeply uncomfortable. Seriously. Don't pick up this book only to rate it lowly for the subject matter, as you have ample warnings beforehand.
Despite the dark moments, I quite enjoyed this book. The foreboding and discomforting feelings make for a very unique reading experience, and Heim's writing felt austere yet beautiful throughout. The way the author portrays the different manifestations of trauma was tragic and brutally honest. I'd like to watch the movie adaption and possibly update here with how I feel about it once I do.
Update: movie was on par with the book and was pretty much a 1:1 adaption. Movie had less of an open ending than the book though.