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A review by jakesf98
Shadows on our Skin by Jennifer Johnston
4.0
After having studied 'The Illusionist' for my A-levels, I decided to read more of Johnston's prose as I really enjoyed the Illusionist after the second reading (Johnston's style is somewhat hard to grasp upon first reading).
As many reviews have said, I really do adore Johnston's economical but poignant writing style. She can portray very psychologically nuanced characters without going on some pompous stream-of-consciousness as some writers have a tendency to fall into.
I really enjoyed the fact that this novel took place quite close to home, in Northern Ireland. It was interesting to read such beautiful prose describe issues so familiar to me. I suppose this may make the themes or plot somewhat harder for people not Northern Irish to understand.
One thing I will say that could be a negative is that Johnston's plots aren't very fanciful, they're often simple and take place in only a few locales. I think it's her depth of insight into her characters which makes her books, for me, enjoyable. At least with 'The Illusionist' and this novel.
However, it didn't fail to leave me in suspense at the end, and it was crushing but not surprising to learn what happened to Kathleen. The ending was certainly very poignant, and I feel that Johnston was really able to understand this loss of innocence that a lot of us (Northern Irish or no) can relate to.
As many reviews have said, I really do adore Johnston's economical but poignant writing style. She can portray very psychologically nuanced characters without going on some pompous stream-of-consciousness as some writers have a tendency to fall into.
I really enjoyed the fact that this novel took place quite close to home, in Northern Ireland. It was interesting to read such beautiful prose describe issues so familiar to me. I suppose this may make the themes or plot somewhat harder for people not Northern Irish to understand.
One thing I will say that could be a negative is that Johnston's plots aren't very fanciful, they're often simple and take place in only a few locales. I think it's her depth of insight into her characters which makes her books, for me, enjoyable. At least with 'The Illusionist' and this novel.
However, it didn't fail to leave me in suspense at the end, and it was crushing but not surprising to learn what happened to Kathleen. The ending was certainly very poignant, and I feel that Johnston was really able to understand this loss of innocence that a lot of us (Northern Irish or no) can relate to.