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A review by powerpuffgoat
Skin by Kathe Koja
dark
3.75
It won't be everyone's cup of tea. I'm not even sure what genre it falls under.
Set vaguely around the art scene in the late 80s and early 90s, this strange book explores creativity, performance, sexuality, body modification, capitalist exploitation, arguably mental health crises... It's a lot.
I'll admit, I didn't realise initially that it was published in 1993, and I wish I knew that from the start. Reading it in 2024, it was easy to turn my nose up at the "edgy" performances. To be fair, it escalated hugely throughout the book, to the point that even in current times the types of shows described in this book would only attract a very niche crowd.
The flow of the narrative felt like it was happening to me, like I was watching a performance rather than getting involved in these characters' lives. Fitting, in a way.
The writing was quite good, if peculiar. Listening to this in audio form helped. The only thing that bugged me was the abundance of characters, almost all of them with gender-ambiguous names like John Henry (I kept thinking this person was Joan), Nicky, or Matty (which sounded like Maddy in the audiobook). There were also Andy and Andreas, two separate characters. Was Andy a woman? No idea.
This brings us nicely to the characters. While Tess was relatively sympathetic, it was still difficult to relate to her. A slave to her craft, there was always a sense of pretentiousness, a kind of pride to her.
Michael was well-written as this manipulative opportunist, always on a lookout to exploit an artist, or even a form of art for his own gain.
And yet Bibi (so annoyingly named) was both a fascinating character and an absolutely disgusting person. Initially, I understood the bond between Tess and Bibi, this understanding they shared, the non-judgment as fellow artists. But frankly, by the end, I just couldn't comprehend what's left to love.
The slow unraveling of Bibi and the gross enabling of her followers reminded me of the documentary about the cult of Mother Love. The book predates these events, obviously, but it was eerie how accurate it felt.
Set vaguely around the art scene in the late 80s and early 90s, this strange book explores creativity, performance, sexuality, body modification, capitalist exploitation, arguably mental health crises... It's a lot.
I'll admit, I didn't realise initially that it was published in 1993, and I wish I knew that from the start. Reading it in 2024, it was easy to turn my nose up at the "edgy" performances. To be fair, it escalated hugely throughout the book, to the point that even in current times the types of shows described in this book would only attract a very niche crowd.
The flow of the narrative felt like it was happening to me, like I was watching a performance rather than getting involved in these characters' lives. Fitting, in a way.
The writing was quite good, if peculiar. Listening to this in audio form helped. The only thing that bugged me was the abundance of characters, almost all of them with gender-ambiguous names like John Henry (I kept thinking this person was Joan), Nicky, or Matty (which sounded like Maddy in the audiobook). There were also Andy and Andreas, two separate characters. Was Andy a woman? No idea.
This brings us nicely to the characters. While Tess was relatively sympathetic, it was still difficult to relate to her. A slave to her craft, there was always a sense of pretentiousness, a kind of pride to her.
Michael was well-written as this manipulative opportunist, always on a lookout to exploit an artist, or even a form of art for his own gain.
And yet Bibi (so annoyingly named) was both a fascinating character and an absolutely disgusting person. Initially, I understood the bond between Tess and Bibi, this understanding they shared, the non-judgment as fellow artists. But frankly, by the end, I just couldn't comprehend what's left to love.
The slow unraveling of Bibi and the gross enabling of her followers reminded me of the documentary about the cult of Mother Love. The book predates these events, obviously, but it was eerie how accurate it felt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Gore, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail