Nothing but Your Skin and The Pool Was Empty

by Cathy Ytak, Gilles Abier

Two fearless explorations of the depths of teenage passion. Louella hates her name, is obsessed with colors and yells herself hoarse when she gets upset. People call her "slow," but Lou knows one thing for she wants to be with her boyfriend -- no matter what her parents or doctors think. Poignantly and sensitively told, Nothing but Your Skin chronicles the aftermath of a mentally challenged girl's decision to have sex. In The Pool Was Empty , 16-year-old Celia's boyfriend, Alex, dies after falling into an empty swimming pool -- and his mother accuses Celia of his murder. As Celia tries to clear her name and move on from her devastating loss, she reveals that the shocking events of that fateful day may not be what they seem. The intensity of first love is laid bare in these strikingly emotional stories. Annick Press is pleased to announce the launch of Single Voice , a groundbreaking and provocative new young-adult fiction series in which no subject is off limits. These tightly paced stories deliver blow after powerful blow with their unflinching honesty, original subject matter and startling twists. Told in the voice of teen narrators at crucial moments in their lives, each story explodes with the urgency, drama and confusion of adolescence. Most importantly, these short yet finely honed literary works will appeal to both avid and less experienced readers. Each book consists of two separate but thematically connected stories with distinct inverted covers in an alluring "flip-book" format. Under the guiding hand of series editor and award-winning author Melanie Little ( The Apprentice's Masterpiece, Confidence ), the series is comprised of works from distinguished writers whose fiction has been recognized internationally. "There's an urgency to the stories -- they read in one go. Like a punch in the stomach. In your head. In your heart." -- Le Vif / L'express

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2010

About the author

Cathy Ytak was born in France in 1962. Both of her parents were teachers. She grew up in Paris but spent her vacations in the Jura Mountains, near Switzerland. Later on, she lived for a few months in Brazil, then in Barcelona, Spain.

She began writing stories as soon as she knew how to read and write. She has always loved books. When she was 15, she quit high school to attend a technical college where she studied book production and earned a diploma in bookbinding. By the time she was 18, she was working at various jobs such as sorting mail, housecleaning, bookbinding, etc. She worked for seven years as a sales assistant in a photo shop, which she enjoyed very much.

At the age of 27, she went back to school to study Catalan and to become a translator. At the same time, she was working as a journalist, which was bringing her closer to writing stories. During this period, she never stopped writing, even though none of her books were published. Her first novel was released in 1999.

Writing is part of Cathy’s life, even though it is not a full-time career. Until recently, she worked full-time as a translator of Catalan. Now she divides her time between writing and translating. She also likes to cook, and has published several recipe books on making bread and yogurt. She finds that cooking and writing have a lot in common: you start with practically nothing (flour, words), you add spices and flavoring, stir it with love, and it becomes a book or a dish to share or give as a gift. She finds it all very magical.

For Cathy, a writer is like a musician who uses words instead of notes. In order to become a composer of words, all you have to do is open your eyes, listen to the sounds around you, whether they be harmonious or dissonant, and be patient, very patient …

Reviews

[Zhen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two stories in one book half of one story and the other half is another story. Though both stories have their similarities because both "Nothing But Your Skin" and "The Pool Was Empty" is about girls dealing problems with their boyfriends.
"Nothing But Your Skin" by Cathy Ytak is is an compelling story about a teenage girl living on a farm and meets a boy named Matt, who later becomes the protagonist's boyfriend. The story starts out how this shy couple was found or caught,by Lou's parents and dogs, making love on the lake surface in winter. Lou was taken to a psychiatrist and then the story flashbacks to when both these teenagers met and how they fell for each other. Also, the process of how they chose to make love. Both of these teenagers are colorblind so they couldn't see the skin color of each other but when they do it they would know how it feels and maybe see. Since before they couldn't really see each others skin because it was winter and with the layers of clothing they were wearing.
"The Pool Was Empty" by Gilles Abier is another amazing story which is the other half in the book was about a girl named Ceila who was accused of killing her boyfriend, Alex. And the witness.... was Alex's mom. It was a hot day and the pool was empty because Alex's mom was saving the pool for Alex's grandchildren. But it was also because of the empty pool that Alex died in it because if the pool was filled with water then Alex wouldn't have died in the pool when he and Celia were fighting. At the trial though Celia read the letter she created about her feelings for Alex to Alex's mom and changed her mind. So now Celia not guilty no more.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about this series is that they are short stories - fast-paced, dramatic, with such unique voices. You don't have to commit to a short story the way you have to commit to a full-length novel (these stories took me around twenty minutes each to read). I loved that they were all written by different authors, all with such strong voices and all so exciting and engaging and different. I think they'd be great for non-readers, or teens without enough time to read an entire novel, as well as short story readers.

The Pool Was Empty was a great story - I thought the concept was fantastic, and Celia was a very interesting character... I couldn't exactly like her, or really feel sorry for her, but I was strangely entranced by her story. This story was first written in French, then translated, and I think perhaps some things may have gotten lost in the process (it just felt as if the language could be more creative at times). One other thing was that I really wished things could have been developed further - I know the story did a great job of engaging me, since I was left wanting more, and that the whole point of the Single Voice series is that they're short, dramatic reads, however I wanted just a bit more - a bit more explanation, a bit more about Celia's and Alex's relationship, a bit more about Alex's mother and what's going on in Celia's head. It was just over a little too quickly for my liking, and I think I would've been more invested with the characters if only it ran another five or six pages or so.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet, with a big ole twist!