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absoluteabsolem 's review for:
Mysterious Skin
by Scott Heim
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"if we were stars in the latest hollywood blockbuster, then i would have embraced him, my hands patting his shoulderblades, violons and cellos billowing on the soundtrack as tears streamed down our faces. but hollywood would never make a movie about us."
well hollywood didn't, but gregg araki did, and for that i owe him my life.
this is an extremely important book that i wish i'd read earlier in life. yes it's horrible, yes it's very graphic, but it's needed. especially in a society that normalises csa and grooming so fucking much (i live right next to france so you can't change my mind about this)
i particularly resonated with neil's way of dealing with his trauma, but brian was just as compelling. two very different characters impacted by the same events in very different ways.
that being said, i did watch araki's adaptation first and i have to say it works best for me. i'm a bit conflicted though bc the book does provide more insight into the characters' emotions which i appreciate (and a lot of additional POVs), but as a whole it just didn't hit as hard and felt a bit long at times, but god the ending still went for my jugular. i just don't know man
i can't even say i should have read it first because i never even heard of this until i found it on gregg araki's letterboxd page !! this book should be mainstream. goddammit
well hollywood didn't, but gregg araki did, and for that i owe him my life.
this is an extremely important book that i wish i'd read earlier in life. yes it's horrible, yes it's very graphic, but it's needed. especially in a society that normalises csa and grooming so fucking much (i live right next to france so you can't change my mind about this)
i particularly resonated with neil's way of dealing with his trauma, but brian was just as compelling. two very different characters impacted by the same events in very different ways.
that being said, i did watch araki's adaptation first and i have to say it works best for me. i'm a bit conflicted though bc the book does provide more insight into the characters' emotions which i appreciate (and a lot of additional POVs), but as a whole it just didn't hit as hard and felt a bit long at times, but god the ending still went for my jugular. i just don't know man
i can't even say i should have read it first because i never even heard of this until i found it on gregg araki's letterboxd page !! this book should be mainstream. goddammit