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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
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
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
really good really good really good really sad
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
over the course of 3 spaced-out loans from libby, i've finally finished this book. oddly enough, i watched the movie in separate sessions, too, unwisely choosing it as my lunch break movie without realizing the subject matter and then feeling too indebted to the librarian who'd procured it for me to give up on it. it's odd, but i think it might have helped me actually finish the story, because it's honestly a lot to experience in one go. though i should probably attempt it someday.
i love this writing style-- so frank yet so tender. a far cry from dennis cooper, who is referenced in a review of this book. unlike frisk, there's hope in this story, and that hope revolves around the power of connection, no longer feeling, or being, alone. two boys, bruised bloody and bathed in light... a slightly different ending than the movie. somehow, both feel right
i love this writing style-- so frank yet so tender. a far cry from dennis cooper, who is referenced in a review of this book. unlike frisk, there's hope in this story, and that hope revolves around the power of connection, no longer feeling, or being, alone. two boys, bruised bloody and bathed in light... a slightly different ending than the movie. somehow, both feel right
Mysterious skin:
I first came upon this story through its indie cult adaptation by Greg Akari. Unaware of it's premise I was hit with a sledge hammer of emotion,this delicate bright vibrant film somehow delivered devastation as mediation on memory. The film though beautifully adapted and amongst my favorite I've ever seen ,is one I haven't been able to rewatch. And I think that will be the same with this novel .
Scott Heim is a very gifted writer. Writing with the scarcity of a Hemmingway scholar with a penchant for diaristic excess. His concept of telling this rather somber bildungsroman through a multitude of perspectives is one of my favorite things about this book. It gives it the opportunity to explore a complex and harrowing experience and consequence through a myriad of lenses. Which is fortunately adeptly rendered through distinct personable points of view which help piece through uninformed or forcefully forgetful ,observations of the ruins of two vastly different men who at 8 were broken the same way.
I also love how brave this book is. Part of the reason this story has had the effect on me that it's had is because of its unprecedented honest when confronting it's topic (which though often explored in the post Metoo world isn't in this depth)and not being afraid to go to dark places. And by dark places I don't mean recounting nauseatingly violent sexual assault scenes in unnecessary detail but instead focusing on the consequences.
The multiple points of view are best used in telling both Brian's and Neil's parallel journeys with trauma. From Brian's sci-fi mystery that seeks to find an extraterrestrial reason for the unaccounted hours of his childhood, who's journey is trying to remember to Neil's debauched self mutilation as he tries to make himself forget what he wishes he wouldn't remember . One story is a perfect tail of traumas ability to embed itself within your body but hide from your mind. It's a story that impacted me deeply as I'd gone through similar circumstances (not childhood sexual assault but a violent reoccurring familial event ) and would often have these slivers of moments- a fist, blood,crying, food- then just tell myself they were something else: a dream,a memory of something I'd seen on TV. I'd always default to making it not real until one day I had asked my sister about it and her face for a second lit up in excited shock before confirming sadly that it did happen. That she also had thought it had been a weird dream. But it hadn't. Scott Heim captured that journey with a frank perspective I feel has to have come from his own life because no one can write so eloquent about this phenomenon without being informed somehow, I refuse to believe it.
The second main story is one of stagnation, living within the awful. Not forgetting it but instead trying to master it. Recklessness, self mutilation, regret and desire. Never have I read a book where the victim whilst victimized had gentle relationship with their abuser. Where with time the victim knows what happened was wrong but doesn't know how to want anything else, FUCK! Like just fuck! Watching this want become an impetus disposition for the victim to copy the abuser is the greatest tragedy of this whole book. It's the moments I almost stopped reading entirely. But once read were the most worthwhile.
And it's not difficult to see the point of this story isn't about overcoming, getting better, a beginning leading to a satisfactory end. But about as the title, mysterious skin ,suggests coming to terms with the experiences encoded into our bodies. Discovering the mysteries beneath the skin . And as it often is for many of us- not solving them.
I don't know ,I fucking love this story :the film &especially this book. It's such an honest depiction of childhood and adolescence, of living with trauma, of survival . And I've never cared for such a perplexing array of people the way I did here. I will definitely never reread this but God will it be amongst my favorite.
I first came upon this story through its indie cult adaptation by Greg Akari. Unaware of it's premise I was hit with a sledge hammer of emotion,this delicate bright vibrant film somehow delivered devastation as mediation on memory. The film though beautifully adapted and amongst my favorite I've ever seen ,is one I haven't been able to rewatch. And I think that will be the same with this novel .
Scott Heim is a very gifted writer. Writing with the scarcity of a Hemmingway scholar with a penchant for diaristic excess. His concept of telling this rather somber bildungsroman through a multitude of perspectives is one of my favorite things about this book. It gives it the opportunity to explore a complex and harrowing experience and consequence through a myriad of lenses. Which is fortunately adeptly rendered through distinct personable points of view which help piece through uninformed or forcefully forgetful ,observations of the ruins of two vastly different men who at 8 were broken the same way.
I also love how brave this book is. Part of the reason this story has had the effect on me that it's had is because of its unprecedented honest when confronting it's topic (which though often explored in the post Metoo world isn't in this depth)and not being afraid to go to dark places. And by dark places I don't mean recounting nauseatingly violent sexual assault scenes in unnecessary detail but instead focusing on the consequences.
The multiple points of view are best used in telling both Brian's and Neil's parallel journeys with trauma. From Brian's sci-fi mystery that seeks to find an extraterrestrial reason for the unaccounted hours of his childhood, who's journey is trying to remember to Neil's debauched self mutilation as he tries to make himself forget what he wishes he wouldn't remember . One story is a perfect tail of traumas ability to embed itself within your body but hide from your mind. It's a story that impacted me deeply as I'd gone through similar circumstances (not childhood sexual assault but a violent reoccurring familial event ) and would often have these slivers of moments- a fist, blood,crying, food- then just tell myself they were something else: a dream,a memory of something I'd seen on TV. I'd always default to making it not real until one day I had asked my sister about it and her face for a second lit up in excited shock before confirming sadly that it did happen. That she also had thought it had been a weird dream. But it hadn't. Scott Heim captured that journey with a frank perspective I feel has to have come from his own life because no one can write so eloquent about this phenomenon without being informed somehow, I refuse to believe it.
The second main story is one of stagnation, living within the awful. Not forgetting it but instead trying to master it. Recklessness, self mutilation, regret and desire. Never have I read a book where the victim whilst victimized had gentle relationship with their abuser. Where with time the victim knows what happened was wrong but doesn't know how to want anything else, FUCK! Like just fuck! Watching this want become an impetus disposition for the victim to copy the abuser is the greatest tragedy of this whole book. It's the moments I almost stopped reading entirely. But once read were the most worthwhile.
And it's not difficult to see the point of this story isn't about overcoming, getting better, a beginning leading to a satisfactory end. But about as the title, mysterious skin ,suggests coming to terms with the experiences encoded into our bodies. Discovering the mysteries beneath the skin . And as it often is for many of us- not solving them.
I don't know ,I fucking love this story :the film &especially this book. It's such an honest depiction of childhood and adolescence, of living with trauma, of survival . And I've never cared for such a perplexing array of people the way I did here. I will definitely never reread this but God will it be amongst my favorite.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
love heim's writing style. i think it's ridiculous to pretend that anything that's explicit (in terms of language or otherwise) is inherently less artful. all the characters in this novel are compelling and complete, neil's chapters obviously being the most enrapturing. his character somehow hits the perfect balance of romantic and disgusting, much like how his view of his childhood swings from idealization to messy confusion. might have to wait a bit to digest the difficult subject matter to watch the movie, but i am excited to see JGL and greg araki's take on this very good book.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fuck. That hit me the same amount of pain and sadness I felt watching the film. Scott Heim (and Gregg Araki) handled this story and its heavy subject matter with care but laced with such freedom of risk. The first person POVs were significantly effective and beautiful. This just became the newest addition to my favourite books of all time, not surprisingly as it stands as my current favourite film as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes