Under the Skin by Michel Faber

[Julian]

I did this on the fly, sorry for the crappy writing.

A debut novel of Michel Faber, this satirical novel delves into different areas such as humanity and our surroundings.


The protagonist of this novel is Isserley, a well-endowed woman who only welcomes muscular male hitchhickers. Indeed, women and the scrawny type are no use for her.

To divulge its genre can reveal a lot regarding the plot. Indeed, classified as 'psychological thriller,' this does not do the least amount of justice to the overall depth it has.

The language is crude and some things may be deemed as only for adults. However, I cannot say that teenagers will feel out-of-depth. The prose is so clear for anyone to be confused.

In fact, Faber has a certain charm to his prose. Not only is it polished, it has full of character, and almost poetic in a sense. The setting is beautifully exposed and his narrative when omniscient is absolutely amazing. We get to experience the hitch-hickers's musings with sheer voyeurism, as if it were a real person, and we are spying him from a distance. It is that good.

The story is character driven. Indeed, boasting only a small amount of 'permanent' characters, Isserley's development is the focal point of the novel, along the history of the other characters and the surroundings.

Isserley's development is just wonderful. As being an already developed person in the beginning of the novel, we can see how flawed her views are, and how slowly this is affecting her.

Action mainly occurs between the protagonist and the hitch-hickers she takes. I cannot spoil any more than that, as this already reveals many things. Nevertheless, do note that the story is not fast-paced, and nothing majestic or epic really happens in the long run. However, this is the kind of novel where development is most important and the underlying messages the writer makes through the employment of metaphors and figurative language.

Told in a 3rd-person omniscient and subjective view, this novel finds the perfect blend in its narrative. It masterfully interweaves itself into a satisfying climax in almost each chapter. This formula of development and climax in each chapter, whilst simple, is extremely addicitive and exciting. A page turner.

Overall, I recommend this book.

[Iridescence]

The story is not character driven. Indeed, boasting only a small amount of 'permanent' characters, Isserley's development is the focal point of the novel, along the history of the other characters and the surroundings.

Isserley's development is just wonderful. As being an already developed person in the beginning of the novel, we can see how flawed her views are, and how slowly this is affecting her.

Action mainly occurs between the protagonist and the hitch-hickers she takes. I cannot spoil any more than that, as this already reveals many things. Nevertheless, do note that the story is not fast-paced, and nothing majestic or epic really happens in the long run. However, this is the kind of novel where development is most important and the underlying messages the writer makes through the employment of metaphors and figurative language.


Seems to me that this story is character driven, based on the bolded stuff. Great review. I may take a look at this.

[Julian]

Where the hell did that 'not' come from...

*edits*