Under the Skin

by Michel Faber
Under the Skin
book data
397 ratings, 3.53 average rating, 85 reviews (more data...)
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published
May 3rd 2004 by Canongate Books Ltd

binding
Paperback, 296 pages

isbn
1841954802   (isbn13: 9781841954806)

description
In the opening pages of Under the Skin, a lone female is scouting the Scottish Highlands in search of well-proportioned men: "Isserley alw...more






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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 574)



Palmina
Palmina rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/31/07

Read in July, 2005
recommends it for: Everyone
Completely captivating. To this day, this story haunts me. Takes place in Scotland and the main character is a female who picks up male hitchikers. What she does with them ... is well ... let's just say, I almost became a vegetarian, if it wasn't for being Croatian and meat-eating is a patriotic obligation. In an eery and out-of-this world way, this story forces you to examine how we treat animals.
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Pdxstacey
Pdxstacey rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/08/07

Read in January, 2006
recommends it for: food eaters
It's so rare to read a book that is completely surprising. I read it over a year ago and I still find myself thinking about it.

I think it's best not to know what this book is about; but I wish someone would read it so we could discuss it.

I read his book about prostitutes not knowing it was the same author. Both enjoyable, but extremely different.

The whole shower scene is bizarre. I find myself thinking about that as well (no, it's not dirty, just gross and weird. Actually,...more
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Jack
Jack rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
08/18/07

bookshelves: alltimefavorite
Read in January, 2001
I started this book one Saturday, and then laid around all day finishing it. I felt justified in doing that, too.

Tonally, it's literary. The plot is pretty suspenseful, but i don't mind being in the dark for the majority of a novel if the writing carries it well. Faber is just as good at landscape and dialogue as he is at slowly uncovering a narrative. He's also admirably gruesome.

You should avoid reading this tale as some kind of parable. Please. Because then it becomes a bit dida...more
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Victoria Karalun
Victoria rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/11/08

Read in June, 2008
This book is odd, weird, strange, and bizarre. It is also highly disturbing. It begins with a girl named Isserley, driving the Scottish freeways daily to look for hitchhikers. The impact of this book depends on knowing no more than that, so all I will say is that it made me think about things in a different way. Highly recommended.
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Simonne
Simonne rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
09/04/08

Read in June, 2008
Hmmm... What can I say about this book... I didn't dislike it and yet.. I wasn't entirely sure why I kept reading - I think I probably wanted more grissly details... which unfortunately never came!

It certainly wasn't the kind of read I was expecting from Michael Faber and I felt that the plot didn't really expand any further by the end of the book than it had in the first few pages. It hasn't put me off Michael Faber because I enjoy his style of writing.. would I recommend you pick this u...more
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Amy
Amy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/21/07

bookshelves: lit-sciencefiction
Wow, this book will really get to you. The narrator, Isserley, picks up hitchhikers in Scotland, and she's a wee bit of a lass, so no, it's not a typical slasher creepfest. But you'll definitely get the creeps as you read, and you'll only be fed small clues here and there as to what's going on. I think it's a very effective book, even once you're given the reveal - you can agree or disagree - Isserley is definitely a unique character, and Faber a very unique writer. If I were you, I'd just pick ...more
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lauren
lauren rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/07/07

i read this immediately after the crimson petal and the white and i have to say that i was disappointed. it is okay, probably good even if it was not immediately prefaced by another, better book by the same author.

however, it did make me think about large scale production farms and how much i hate them.
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Lissa
Lissa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/12/07

Read in February, 2005
recommends it for: science fiction/bizarro fans
This story seemed weird from the beginning, and then when it was explained who/what the main character actually was, I yelled and threw the book across the room, yelling WHAT??? A good read, quick, and completely OUT THERE so don't bother if you prefer more sedate, "normal" stories.
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Megan
Megan rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/01/07

Creepy! Who is the lady picking up hitchhikers? How come they have to be a certain size? What happens after she puts them to sleep? Why did she have all that surgery? Lyrically disgusting, this book is too smart to be a guilty pleasure. (Hint: the answer has to do with veal.)
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Sarah
Sarah rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
08/26/08

Read in August, 2008
Bizarre psycho drama of canine and human bondage... quite absorbing, and for those of you who can't get enough of Scottish highways and shitty Scottish weather, it's a veritable travelogue in gray and darker gray.
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Karen
11/29/08

bookshelves: mystery, thriller
Read in November, 2008
Isserley would drive around to pick up hitchhikers. She wouldn’t pick them up on her first drive past them; she’d checked them out first and would drive by 2-3 times just to ascertain her perceptions of their persons. It would have to be a well-built male and one who is alone…

A mysterious piece of work saturated with the unknown. It was easy to read and it’s just so intriguing that you want to keep reading to find out what exactly are these unknown elements. There are points when...more
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Erin
Erin rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/03/07

The scariest book Ive ever read. Had a little to do with why I am a vegetarian now.
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kurr
kurr rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
07/15/08

Maybe this little gem is on its way to being a cult novel. Hell, maybe it already is and I'm just out of the loop. Whatever the cult status, this book did all those creepy, shocking, eye-opening, frission-y things that cult novels are supposed to do. There was even one point where I sat wavering between burning the text in my then blazing fire or diving back in to finish reading with relish.

Ever since I discovered Michel Faber a few months ago, I've been chewing my way through his backlist. Fi...more
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minnie
minnie rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/17/08

bookshelves: fiction
Read in November, 2008
After spending most of last Saturday inside reading this book, when I finished it and got out into the fresh Autumn day and blue skies, I had that feeling you get of really appreciating the world. I won’t be giving away too much if I say its about a woman called Isserly who picks up male hitchers, as long as they are well muscled, and that is only one aspect of this amazing book.
It is hard to imagine this is written by Michel Faber who wrote Crimson Petal and the White, that weighty epic ab...more
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Ave
06/18/07

bookshelves: own
Read in March, 2006
So the story like sayd on many description is about a woman called Isserley who drives along highway 9 and pick up passengers. Not because normally you would do but she's just doing her job. Altough at first they i had to ofter wonder what was it all about, but thats good since you woulnt want to know the storyline all together. Understandably theres a twist to it, but generally as gross and horrible and unnatural it all might look, theres a real human story in there. Weather it would be the me...more
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Pam
03/29/08

bookshelves: fiction, scotland
Read in March, 2008
03/26/08
TITLE/AUTHOR: UNDER THE SKIN by Michel Faber
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Fiction/2000/296 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: Stand Alone
TIME/PLACE: 1990's/Scotland
CHARACTERS: Isserly
FIRST LINES: Isserley always drove straight past a hitch-hiker when she first saw him to give herself time to size him up.

COMMENTS: 03/20/08 rec as bookcrossing ring/ray. Strange book to classify -- starts out like a crime fiction/mystery w/ an odd woman roaming the roads of Scotland on t...more
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Carolyn
Carolyn rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/03/07

A woman named Isserley drives her little Corolla up a highway in Scotland day in and day out, looking for hitchhikers. After they get in her car, she engages them in conversation, and we get inside their heads. Some of them are very good people. Some of them are ordinary. Some of them are despicable. Sometimes Isserley drives them a ways up the road and lets them out. Sometimes she takes them back to the farm. Why?

This is a very good Twilight Zone episode of a book. In fact, there's a well-k...more
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Debbie
Debbie rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
01/21/08

bookshelves: 1001-to-read-before-you-die, fiction
Read in June, 2007
I loved the first part of this novel - excellent suspense. The main character, Isserley, drives around Scotland looking for hitchhikers with big muscles. She asks the men questions as she decides whether to keep them with her or drop them off. Subtle clues paint a picture of Isserley's physical appearance and, eventually reveal why she is picking up hitchhikers.

The author lost me shortly after Isserley's motivations are revealed. I think this book would have been much better as a short s...more
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Carolyn
Carolyn rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/25/08

recommends it for: everyone
one of the most interesting cross-genre books I've ever read. Fascinating characters, gripping story.
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Jamie
Jamie rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
05/16/08

bookshelves: never-to-read-again
Read in March, 2007
recommends it for: people who like wierd
If you read this author, I recommend the Crimson Petal and the White. That was a much more enjoyable read. Really, when I found out that the same author wrote this book and the other, I was pretty surprised. He can nail an accent right on the head, but when it comes to this type of story.... well, he should probably stick to period pieces. However, if you do like some really strange stories, then you might want to give this on a go. Its very strange and wierd and not at all what you would have t...more
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Under the Skin: A Novel (Paperback)
Under the Skin (Hardcover)
Under the Skin (Paperback)
Under the Skin (Paperback)
Under the Skin (Paperback)







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