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joe_thomas25 's review for:
Mysterious Skin
by Scott Heim
I was inspired to read this after watching the film, not having realised it was based on a book prior to that.
The book tackles a very difficult issue in a refreshing blunt and straight forward manner. There's no real sidestepping the difficult issues, covering everything from paedophilia to sexual health, prostitution and rape, but it never feels like a book trying to get by based on shock and controversy alone.
Neil is a wonderful character, with many different facets and his development throughout the book is one of the highlights. Brian is a little more difficult, harder to like to begin with, but easily the most emotive journey throughout the book, leading to a heart-wrenching conclusion that perfectly fits the mood and story of the book, without trying to be too grand and elaborate. The book is blunt, but understated, and that's the real joy, though I'd definitely advise reading the book before the film - quite a lot is changed and I feel like my response to some of the characters (Eric especially) was changed, and potentially not in a good way, by watching the film first.
The book tackles a very difficult issue in a refreshing blunt and straight forward manner. There's no real sidestepping the difficult issues, covering everything from paedophilia to sexual health, prostitution and rape, but it never feels like a book trying to get by based on shock and controversy alone.
Neil is a wonderful character, with many different facets and his development throughout the book is one of the highlights. Brian is a little more difficult, harder to like to begin with, but easily the most emotive journey throughout the book, leading to a heart-wrenching conclusion that perfectly fits the mood and story of the book, without trying to be too grand and elaborate. The book is blunt, but understated, and that's the real joy, though I'd definitely advise reading the book before the film - quite a lot is changed and I feel like my response to some of the characters (Eric especially) was changed, and potentially not in a good way, by watching the film first.