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La Piel Fría

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 1,019 ratings · 128 reviews

"La piel fria es una novela apasionante, repleta de intriga y de aventura que, al mismo tiempo, nos hace experimentar intimamente los grandes interrogantes de la condicion humana. La llegada de un hombre de oscuro pasado a una isla es el desencadenante de una dura lucha contra elementos inesperados, y sobre todo contra si mismo. Albert Sanchez Pinol (Barcelona, 1965) sorpr...more

Published 2003

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May 10, 2010 Jana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: south

I'm reading all these reviews and not a single idea pops on my mind on why I shouldn't give this book more than one star. Yes, it had moments: it was bizarre and scared the shit out of me. No, I’ll be completely straight - it’s the second creepiest and the most disturbing book I have ever read. It’s in the same box with In the Miso soup, just I’ve experienced my first full blown anxiety attack with that Japanese one, so now I was somehow prepared for this Cold Skin, although not totally.

During t...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Adela Cacovean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Când am început să citesc "Pielea rece" de Albert Sánchez Piñol, nu ştiam la ce să mă aştept. Am primit-o cadou de ziua mea de la colega de bancă, apucasem să citesc descrierea de pe spate şi câteva altele de pe internet şi, acum aveam nevoie de o carte subţire, uşor de cărat, de care să mă "ocup" în orele în care nu facem mare brânză la şcoală. Aşa se face că am pus mâna pe ea şi am început-o.

Începutul suna foarte bine. "Niciodată nu ne aflăm destul de departe de cei pe care-i urâm. Prin urmare...more Când am început să citesc "Pielea rece" de Albert Sánchez Piñol, nu ştiam la ce să mă aştept. Am primit-o cadou de ziua mea de la colega de bancă, apucasem să citesc descrierea de pe spate şi câteva altele de pe internet şi, acum aveam nevoie de o carte subţire, uşor de cărat, de care să mă "ocup" în orele în care nu facem mare brânză la şcoală. Aşa se face că am pus mâna pe ea şi am început-o.

Începutul suna foarte bine. "Niciodată nu ne aflăm destul de departe de cei pe care-i urâm. Prin urmare, tot astfel ne-am putea închipui că niciodată nu vom fi destul de aproape de cei pe care-i iubim." Mi-a luat puţin până m-am obişnuit cu atmosfera şi personajele, perioadă în care citeam lent, încercând să înţeleg trăirile lor, însă după ce m-am familiarizat cu acţiunea, am terminat cartea cât ai clipi.

Protagonistul, dorind să scape de trecutul său, acceptă postul de meteorolog marin pe o insulă izolată, atât de mică încât nu se vede pe hartă, aflându-se la intersecţia unor coordonate. Pe acea insulă se află doar o căsuţă şi un far, însă cel mai ciudat lucru e dispariţia meteorologului precedent. În căutarea acestuia, personajul nostru, însoţit de căpitanul vasului care l-a condus pe insulă, găseşte în far un individ aparent nebun, pe care căpitanul îl bănuieşte a fi vinovat în vreun fel de dispariţia meteorologului precedent. Protagonistul nostru fără nume insistă, însă, să rămână pe insulă, în ciuda tuturor insistenţelor căpitanului de a renunţa la post.
(view spoiler)[După plecarea vasului, acesta îşi despachetează cutiile şi se instalează în căsuţă. Noaptea, însă este atacat de nişte oameni ai mării, lipsiţi de păr, cu piele de rechin, care par să vrea să îl mănânce. Baricadează uşa, închide geamurile din interior, se apără cu lopata, toporul şi tot ce îi iese în cale, supravieţuind primei nopţi.
Îl detestă pe omul din far, care nu i-a spus despre existenţa monştrilor, însă îşi dă seama că farul fortificat e singura lui şansă de supravieţuire şi încearcă să îl convingă pe acesta să îl primească înăuntru. Nu reuşeşte asta decât atunci când o descoperă pe femela-monstru pe care acesta o foloseşte pentru cărat apă şi alte lucruri şi o răpeşte. Nebunul din far, pe nume Batis Caffo, nimeni altul decât fostul meteorolog, îl primeşte în far, unde cei doi devin camarazi de arme ce trag fără milă în oamenii-mării care sunt aproape de a intra în "fortăreaţă".
Mai târziu, protagonistul află, dezgustat, că Batis Caffo o foloseşte pe femeia-monstru şi pentru a-şi satisface poftele sexuale. Când un vas ce transporta dinamită ilegal se scufundă, îl convinge pe Batis Caffo să se scufunde şi să o ia, ca să le dea monştrilor o lecţie. În noaptea în care aceştia atacă în număr mare, cei doi îi aruncă în aer, fără milă, însă aceştia, în ciuda pierderilor, nu îşi pierd voinţa de luptă, atacând şi în următoarele nopţi. În cele din urmă, protagonistul îşi dă seama că oamenii mării sunt mai mult decât nişte animale, fiind capabili de sentimente. Pe femela-monstru începe să o iubească, deşi ea nu îi răspunde la sentimente.
Această carte scoate în evidenţă faptul că adevăraţii monştri sunt oamenii, care nu se dau înapoi de la uciderea în masă a unor fiinţe care fac doar să îşi apere teritoriul, să îşi răzbune semenii ucişi de aceştia.
În ciuda argumentelor aduse de protagonist, Caffo refuză să accepte faptul că fiinţele pe care le-a ucis erau mai mult decât părea. Protagonistul încearcă să le transmită oamenilor mării un semn de pace: o armă inofensivă, înconjurată de pietre, lăsată la malul apei. Ca urmare, în următoarele zile, aceştia nu atacă, trimiţându-şi copiii pe insulă, în timpul zilei - tot simbol al păcii. Caffo priveşte cu scepticism prietenia protagonistului cu copiii oamenilor mării, iar în ziua în care oamenii mării adulţi par a veni fără gânduri de atac, el strică orice şansă la pace, trăgând în ei, sub pretextul că îi salvează viaţa colegului său de arme. În cele din urmă, nebunia îl ucide pe Caffo, care lasă uşa deschisă şi este copleşit de numărul oamenilor mării, furioşi, care îl ucid.
Spre finalul cărţii, inevitabil, înnebuneşte şi protagonistul fără nume, poate din cauza faptului că a rămas singur, chiar dacă Batis Caffo nu era ceea ce am numi "uman", poate din cauza iubirii unilaterale pentru femela-monstru.
Cert e că la venirea salvatorilor lui, a meteorologului menit să îl înlocuiască, rămâne mut, impasibil. El devine un fel de Batis Caffo, care, după prima noapte în care noul meteorolog e atacat de monştri, nu este interesat decât de muniţia pe care acesta o deţine.
"Să nu crezi în far, am insistat eu. Oamenii care ajung aici şi-au pierdut credinţa şi se agaţă de miraje. Dar nimeni n-a îmbrăţişat vreodată un miraj. Dacă aş mai avea credinţă, aş păşi pe ape şi m-aş întoarce de unde am venit, am adăugat cu voce schimbată."
Noul-venit e însă dornic să lupte, venind cu idei noi de apărare, de ucidere a oamenilor-rechini. Interesant este că, aparent, protagonistul pare dispus să îi omoare pe monştri care atacă farul în noaptea de după sosirea noului meteorolog, dar totodată, la finalul cărţii, se întreabă unde este unul dintre copiii oamenilor-mării, de care el se ataşase. (hide spoiler)](less)

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May 21, 2012 Jonathan Briggs rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A disillusioned young man seeks to escape humanity by taking a job as a weather researcher on an island in the Antarctic "at the end of the world, in the middle of nowhere and far from everything." He is alone on the island except for Gruner, an insane, hirsute lighthouse keeper ... and hordes of Lovecraftian fishmen who attack from the sea every nite. The narrator and Gruner form an uneasy, distrustful alliance, strained further by a love triangle centered on Gruner's hot, fishwoman lub slave....more

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Apr 01, 2012 Sophie Dusting rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Synopsis:

"We are never far from those we hate." (Pg. 1)

A small, remote island is located on the edge of the Arctic Circle which is only accessible by boat, that passes just once a year. A young man accepts a solitary 12 month assignment on the island - the 'Weather Official' post. Yet, when he arrives, his predecessor cannot be found and just a fellow castaway named Gruner, whom is assumed to be the Maritime Signal Technician, is the young mans only, rather inhospitable, companion.

As the fi...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, translated-fiction

"We are never very far from those we hate. For this very reason, we shall never be truly close to those we love." With those words, Catalan author Albert Sanchez Piñol begins his tale of a young man who takes a position as a weather official on a remote island, out of the normal shipping lanes, along the coast of Antarctica. He is the unnamed narrator of this tale, and has opted for this position to exile himself from the rest of the world, needing some time and space to "negotiate between the d...more "We are never very far from those we hate. For this very reason, we shall never be truly close to those we love." With those words, Catalan author Albert Sanchez Piñol begins his tale of a young man who takes a position as a weather official on a remote island, out of the normal shipping lanes, along the coast of Antarctica. He is the unnamed narrator of this tale, and has opted for this position to exile himself from the rest of the world, needing some time and space to "negotiate between the devastating failures that came before and utter darkness that is on its way."

Upon landing, he is startled to find that there is no sign of the previous weather official, who is to return to the world on the very same ship. Not only is he absent from his cabin, but the inside of his quarters is in complete disarray, with additional signs of abandon and neglect. Hoping to find the missing man, accompanied by the captain, the narrator walks to the only other structure there, the lighthouse. There they find a man, Gruner, in charge of keeping the signal going, who refuses to answer any questions. Refusing the captain's offer of leaving the island, the narrator returns to his cabin and begins to put his new life in order. Things are fine that first day, but when the night comes, the narrator finds himself under attack from something not human, a group of beings who call the island home. Barricading himself within the cabin, he fights back with what little he has. Mercifully, the nights are very short, and when the daylight arrives, he realizes that his survival will depend on getting to the lighthouse and securing the cooperation of Gruner as well. This will be easier said than done, as Gruner has his owns reasons for remaining isolated. The rest of the novel details their survival not only against these odd creatures, but also against each other and themselves individually.

This is a very vague synopsis, but to say more would be to ruin it for anyone who might want to read this novel. If you carefully consider Nietzsche's statement about "he who fights with monsters," you've got the very essence of the novel. It seems at first to read as a sci-fi or speculative fiction novel (and reminded me a great deal of the work of HP Lovecraft) but it can also (and should be) read as an allegorical reflection on our fear and distrust of anything we perceive as Other. It's also an examination of the human capacity for brutality, as well as a look at the perils of self-imposed isolation that can change an ordinary human being into the worst sort of monster. The ending, although purposefully vague, shores up the idea that life is more or less cyclical, and leaves it to the reader to contemplate whether or not there is any hope for the future.

If ever there was a case for "don't judge a book by its first few pages," Cold Skin is it. I was scarcely into it when the first Antarctic nightfall came & the attacks began, and I thought "well, I'm done with this one," as I'm not really big on books with monsters unless they're the Lovecraftian sort that live tucked away on the fringes of other dimensions, threatening to make their presence known when the conditions are right. But I reread the back cover, noticed that the book had won some kind of literary award, and figured that they don't give out literary awards for simple monster stories, so there must be something I'm missing. And there was. Once I was determined to get back to the book, I couldn't put it down. While I won't call the writing brilliant (and this may be a translation issue, who knows?) , it was good enough to keep me reading, all the time wondering what was going to happen next.

Recommended, with caution -- while on one level it's a horror story, but not just because of the creatures who inhabit the sea, so people interested in Cold Skin for its sci-fi/horror aspects might be a bit disappointed in its philosophical bent. People who read mainly literary fiction might be turned off due to its focus on said creatures, but will probably get the most out of the novel.

one further note: A movie project is in the works, and if the filmmakers don't screw up the adaptation, it could be a good one.
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Mar 09, 2010 Kat Hagedorn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, fiction

http://tinyurl.com/6ket6j

Yup, the author is an anthropologist. Who else could create such a strange depiction of human behavior stretched to its limits? Or, better stated, who else would know enough about human behavior to care to do so?

I am a bit puzzled by the number of languages this book has been translated into from the Catalan. I mean, it isn't THAT good. Any book involving monsters is going to turn off half (if not more) of the world's population. The other half may be turned off by all t...more

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Dec 30, 2009 Kellyreaderofbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Set on a completely isolated island in the Antarctic ocean, Cold Skin is told from the point of view of the unnamed protaganist. He has been hired to live and work on the island for one year, tracking weather patterns. The tiny island has only the weather station house and a lighthouse on it; the only (human;-) neighbor a mysterious and taciturn man found living in the lighthouse. When night falls the protaganist discovers that there is indeed something worse than just the isolation of being in...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Faedyl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Faedyl by: Bookcrossing

Pucha, que libro raro La Piel Fría... no sé si me gusta, si me parece bueno y bien escrito, si me parece imaginativo, o si me da meio...

Leido gracias al préstamo de Bookcrossing, voy a copiar mi review de su journal. Al momento de terminarlo tuve una especie de alucinación...

///////////////////// El libro es atrapante! lo leí de un tirón. Me gustó pero me pasó algo extraño que conversé con mi esposo: yo tal vez me dé cuenta de los mecanismos del autor, o tal vez el autor desea que nos demos cuen...more

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Nov 19, 2009 Kellie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-horror

I loved this book. It was creepy and unflinchingly bizarre. It is a fun, compulsive, and at times genuinely scary read but also a great exploration of xenophobia, the fear of the unknown, as well as what makes us "human". I think the author very much deserves his comparisons to Lovecraft, although I think it is one of those stories that you will enjoy most if you know very little about it, so I will leave it at that and warn you not to read too many reviews.

This is the best horror book I have r...more

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Nov 12, 2009 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cold Skin --let me start by assuring you that the bad title is not indicative of the quality of the book. This is a tale, with all the bad that that implies: a lack of sensory detail, a certain forgetfulness in the narrative, etc.

But from another direction it is quite good: it is an allegory for almost anything. Its themes and imagery embark on a Jungian expansion into primal sources.

The most frustrating thing is how the narrative overlooks the logic and possibilities of what it has set up, a...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Mathew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd never heard of this author and I have to say this book blew me away! It starts in a very standard fashion. The new lighthouse keeper? arrives on the small island, on the very edge of the world in order to escape his past. Little does he know what his future holds for him! On very few occasions can a book create the same scares as you will see in a horror movie, but this book manages it in one fell swoop. There I was, much like the character in the story, settling down for the night ahead, wh...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Jane Mitchell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An interesting, claustrophobic meditation on the cyclic nature of violence and madness. The book was meant to be an uncomfortable read, and yet I was particular put off by one part in particular -- the fact that the only female character was a sub-human creature, incapable of speech, who existed pretty much as a purely physical sexual object for the two male characters, and was in fact complicit in (and apparently mostly indifferent to) her own physical abuse and rape.

That being said, the whole...more

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Jul 30, 2009 ted rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i didn't think i was going to get into this book - i really enjoy all times of fiction and non-fiction (other than chick-lit :( ) and really look forward to a massive tome. this book was a short novel and i figured i'd bang it out in a few days max.
well i finished reading it over the course of a week since i made myself go slow as i was enjoying it immensely. and the book has stayed with me for some reason.
i would characterize it a 'horror' story, i guess. and although i enjoy horror, supernatur...more

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May 12, 2012 manuti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Y otro más que cae. Siguiendo con mi trilogía de supervivientes, después de leer como un hombre luchaba contra ordas de vampiros me leí esta novela en la que un par de hombres luchan contra una orda de monstruos marinos. Ya sé que el argumento no parece dar para mucho, pero la novela no está nada mal. Tal vez se sobrevaloró por estar escrita en catalán, ya que no se escriben muchas novelas de este tipo, y menos en ese idioma. Totalmente recomendable, y que conste que le doy 3 estrellas por que e...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Peter added it · review of another edition

Not your average B Movie Book: Well I was really looking forward to this book after reading the synopsis and the first page. I read it all in one sitting so that's got to be a good sign. I loved the character's isolation. The story focused more on his relationship with the other human than it did on the monstrous presence, which I was kind of hoping it was going to and kept waiting for.
But it did not disappoint, it had a sinister theme about humans and how we perceive anything alien.
A good read!

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Jan 07, 2011 Sergio Frosini rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: oltre-le-5-stelle

Nei risvolti di copertina si scomodano i nomi di Conrad, Stevenson e Lovecraft come "apparentati" a questa storia. L'ultimo dei tre è stato decisivo nello spingermi verso l'acquisto.

...more Nei risvolti di copertina si scomodano i nomi di Conrad, Stevenson e Lovecraft come "apparentati" a questa storia. L'ultimo dei tre è stato decisivo nello spingermi verso l'acquisto.

Un'isola sperduta nei mari antartici (altra corda alla quale sono sensibile), un ex-ribelle irlandese giunge alla stazione meteorologica dove dovrà passare un anno isolato dal mondo. Unico suo vicino, una sorta di guardiano del faro non esattamente cordiale. E la notte stessa dell'arrivo l'irlandese si trova assediato, nella stazione meteo, da una massa di mostri anfibi antropomorfi che usciti dal mare non mostrano intenzioni troppo amichevoli.
Riuscito bene o male a stabilire una strana alleanza con il guardiano del faro, scopre che questi ospita una femmina della razza dei mostri, da lui chiamati "le ranacce".
E se l'odore di salmastro e la pelle fredda dei mostri riportano un vago sapore lovecraftiano, gli accenni di erotismo teratofilo che presto si incontrano nella storia avrebbero sconvolto non poco il vecchio Howie.

Non un vero horror, ma si lascia leggere bene e con passione. Non è poco, di questi tempi. Sul sito Feltrinelli, la recensione (che dannazione rivela il finale) accenna al fatto che in alcuni licei catalani questo romanzo è utilizzato come libro di testo. E in effetti ho trovato un sito catalano di "compiti a casa" che riguardano questo curioso La pell freda (no, non è un mio refuso di stampa ma il titolo originale).

E se da subito posso vantarmi di aver capito che Aneris, il nome del mostro-femmina seduttrice, non è altro che "sirena" scritto alla rovescia; se posso far finta che non fosse necessaria la nota a pié pagina del traduttore che permette di capire che Citauca, il nome della razza dei mostri, non è altro che il rovescio di "acuatic" (parola catalana di suppongo facile traduzione); in ogni caso, devo confessare che solo solo grazie al sito scolastico ora citato ho capito che l'improbabile nome Batís Caffó del guardiano del faro vuol dire semplicemente... batiscafo!

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Aug 12, 2010 R. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La Peau froide est un roman protéiforme relatant les aventures d’un naufragé volontaire, flanqué d’un Vendredi acariâtre, qui a débarqué dans un monde tout droit sorti de l’esprit de Stephen King. On pourrait croire, dès lors, que l’on est face à un nième roman d’horreur ou le héros doit lutter pour sa survie. C’est justement là que le roman réussi le tour de force de proposer une aventure omniprésente et bien rythmée qui sert admirablement les problématiques de fond abordées.
Au fil de ce huis c...more

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Nov 28, 2008 My Inner Shelf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Kimisse, Corinne

Shelves: fantastique

AAAAAAAAAAH !!
Ceci est un cri d’extase. Cela devrait suffire à donner une idée de l’effet que m’a fait ce livre mais je vais tout de même m’exprimer de manière civilisée.
De prime abord, le sujet m’emballait grave sa race. Et une fois le livre entamé, je fus happée par l’ambiance et le cadre angoissant de cette île perdue au milieu de nulle part. Le personnage du narrateur débarque innocemment sur l’île, prêt à y vivre une année entière, avec des raisons de fuir la civilisation qui lui sont propr...more AAAAAAAAAAH !!
Ceci est un cri d’extase. Cela devrait suffire à donner une idée de l’effet que m’a fait ce livre mais je vais tout de même m’exprimer de manière civilisée.
De prime abord, le sujet m’emballait grave sa race. Et une fois le livre entamé, je fus happée par l’ambiance et le cadre angoissant de cette île perdue au milieu de nulle part. Le personnage du narrateur débarque innocemment sur l’île, prêt à y vivre une année entière, avec des raisons de fuir la civilisation qui lui sont propres et qu’il évoque juste assez pour se faire une idée, et point trop pour ne pas digresser. Donc, le narrateur s’aperçoit vite que tout ne tourne pas rond sur l’île. Son seul voisin, une espèce de brute aux allures de psychopathe, ne va pas s’empresser de faire sa connaissance malgré l’hostilité environnemental qu’ils partagent dorénavant. Le narrateur, à peine installé dans sa maison de climatologue, va devoir subir les attaques cauchemardesques de monstres aquatiques digne d’un délire lovecraftien. Confronté à la dure réalité de l’île, son unique objectif sera de survivre aux assauts répétés et hargneux des bestioles en attendant le retour du bateau supposé le récupérer l’année suivante. Par la force des choses et après un certain nombre d’événements, le narrateur et la brute vont finir par s’allier.

Réfugiés dans le phare, seul abri face à l’invasion meurtrière venue du fond des océans, les deux hommes, que pas mal de choses opposent, vont devoir cohabiter et lutter pour leur survie. Leur entente ne sera possible que dans une alliance contre les monstres, une alliance pour survivre. Batís Caffó, homme mystérieux un brin primaire mais néanmoins favorisé par son expérience face aux monstres, a tout ou presque du néandertalien. La description physique que nous en fait le narrateur le rapproche de la bête, ainsi que sa psychologie rigide. Le narrateur, plus subtil dans ses raisonnements et réflexions, évoluera de manière différente face aux bestioles.

Ce qui suit peut contenir de bons gros spoilers alors attention !

Tout d’abord vus dans un contexte de peur et d’ignorance, les monstres sont considérés comme des monstres sanguinaires et cannibales. Le point de vue est celui du narrateur, très vite assailli et menacé, mais c’est aussi celui de Batís Caffó, qui lui a déjà vécu cet état de siège depuis plusieurs mois. Ancrés dans la conviction que ces êtres ne sont que des animaux nuisibles, les deux hommes vont donc lutter pour leur survie en massacrant ces monstres, sans état d’âme ni remords. L’élément perturbateur, comme toujours sera une femelle. La “mascotte”, comme l’appelle le narrateur, spécimen femelle des monstres, joue le rôle de la bon che et d’esclave sexuelle que Batís Caffó utilise sans scrupule apparent. Soumise et de toute évidence assez éloignée de l’Homme, la mascotte va peu à peu semer le doute et la réflexion dans l’esprit du narrateur. ce dernier va progressivement voir les monstres d’un autre œil. La mascotte, à laquelle il va finir par donner un nom, Aneris, vaguement entendu lors de ses chants et dialogues à distance avec les monstres, va se montrer plus humaine sur bien des points. L’apparition et la présence fréquente d’enfants, inoffensifs et joueurs, va finir de convaincre le narrateur de l’Humanité des bestioles. Dès lors le récit bascule, et les deux hommes, que tout opposait déjà mais que leur lutte commune maintenait relativement unis, vont s’opposer de plus en plus violemment. Batís Caffó, toujours aussi obtus, refusera de voir une once d’humanité chez ses assaillants, même si on devine qu’au fond de lui il a toujours connu leur vraie nature. Le narrateur, dont le cheminement intellectuel mène à la réalité, ne réussira pas à faire admettre cette réalité à Caffó, qui préfère se convaincre de l’animalité des monstres, car reconnaître le contraire serait admettre qu’il a tué des hommes, des égaux, et ferait donc de lui un assassin, ce qu’il refusera jusqu’à sa fin tragique.

Fin des spoilers potentiels vous pouvez poursuivre !

Récit d’aventures et d’horreur, ce huis-clos est aussi une réflexion sur l’Autre, sur l’étranger. Les réactions des deux héros ne diffèrent pas des envahisseurs coloniaux qui ont parsemé l’Histoire et anéanti ou asservi bon nombre de civilisations et de cultures dont l’Humanité n’était pas reconnue par leurs envahisseurs blancs et soit-disant civilisés. La réaction première étant de réfuter une quelconque Humanité, on attaque, on détruit, on s’approprie et dans le meilleur des cas (ou le pire !) on évangélise. Dans toutes les situations, on s’impose, par la violence de préférence, pour montrer qui est le maître, on évite le dialogue (les animaux ne dialoguent pas, voyons !).

Dans La peau froide, les envahisseurs ne sont que deux, et ne se voient pas comme tels. Ils débarquent assez innocemment sur l’île déserte, pour accomplir un travail, pour fuir la civilisation, pour des tas de raisons. Leur terreur face à une nouveauté qu’ils ignoraient et n’auraient pu concevoir les pousse à une violence défensive certes, mais ne se posent pas la question du pourquoi. Le narrateur mettra lui-même beaucoup de temps à évoquer le fait que ces monstres se sentent sans doute envahis et agressés dans leur domaine et les comparera aux soldats coincés sur des champs de batailles qui luttent pour leur vie. Les survivants agglutinés sur les victimes avant de les emporter au fond de l’océan sont tout d’abord vus comme des cannibales se nourrissant de leur morts, puis comme des soldats emportant leurs blessés.

Tout étant une question de point de vue, de préjugés et d’ouverture à l’autre, ou pas.

En outre, le style est juste délicieux, raffiné mais pas trop, les mots sont justes et coulent tous seuls.
Inutile de préciser que je compte fermement lire les prochains livres de cet auteur, pour commencer Pandore au Congo, que l’on dit encore meilleur !(less)

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Jun 30, 2009 Danielle rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 30, 2010 Joshua rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, quote-literature-unquote, international-fiction

Cold Skin is an odd, yet decent enough read that feels like a cross of gothic horror tinged with the ideas and words of HP Lovecraft. Pinol is not as great a wordsmith as Lovecraft and since this is a modern book, Cold Skin's style feels incredibly dated. Still it's a bizarre enough read, teetering on the boundaries of sanity and insanity, of almost cosmic horror machinations that for any fan of Lovecraft's style will find at least some enjoyment here. Otherwise stay clear.

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Jul 30, 2011 Selenitachan added it · review of another edition

La verdad es que hay que darle una oportunidad a este nuevo autor catalán, ya que ha creado una novela de terror psicológico donde nos veremos en una sitacuón desesperante. Lamentablemente, tiene un punto en contra y es que parece que el final no fuera acabado, como si el tipo fuera decidido dejarlo para el día siguiente y no lo hubiera hecho. De todas formas, está muy bien y os lo recomiendo, aunque la moraleja final parece ser un "al final, a los hombres solo les importa una cosa" ¿Que opináis...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Johnny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Creepy and surprising. I knew nothing about this book except for the scant blurb on the back. It set up an intriguing premise, a man alone for a year on a weather station in Antarctica.

That really only explains the first twenty-five pages. The direction it goes from there is consistently unpredictable. Without giving too much a way, I have one word for you: monsters.

While it owes something to Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness", it takes its own path. Made me want to check out more Catalan...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Brian J added it · review of another edition

This will likely be my "Currently Reading" book for the rest of the year, as I will undoubtedly read it a few times over for the essay I have to write come December.

I first read it in February of 2008 and thought it was a terrific and confounding book. A real challenge! Well written, gripping and unsuspecting. Is it horror? Gothic? A philosophical fantasy?

Looking forward to reading PANDORA IN THE JUNGLE, Pinol's thematic follow-up!

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May 18, 2010 Frank rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A terrific gothic allegory on very modernist themes, evoking Conrad, T.S. Eliot and the whole caboodle. The Kingfisher mythology, allegorical bloodshed reminiscent of the slaughter of the Great War, metaphorical narrative about racism and fear of (and identification with) the other... all in such a way that it's impossible to pin the novel down to a single straightforward (simplistic) 'message'. But it's all the more evocative for that.

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Sep 01, 2011 Jason Bean rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the creepiest and unsettling books I've ever read is also one of the most fascinating and readable. Everything in Albert Sanchez Pinol's novel unfolds like a Lovecraftian dream with a young man being seemingly secluded on an arctic island only to have his world twisted by his "neighbor" and an army of toad-like monsters. It's not so much "scary" as it is eerie as the man becomes fascinated with one of the female creatures. 'Cold Skin' can be off-putting at times and gets a bit surreal as...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Gem rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adultfiction, read2012

This was a terrifying and disturbing read. I give it 4 stars for writing (at least for the translation, as I cannot read Catalan) and exploring animalistic human nature. The feelings evoked from reading this will likely stay with me for some time, even though I'd like to forget some of the scenes from this book. The initial premise sounds really good and it's definitely an interesting story - it's just quite disturbing.

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Jan 22, 2013 Ajith rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book follows the adventures of a young man stranded on a remote island.Some creatures are hunting him.With the help of a reclusive castaway he fights back.
This is basically a Man Vs Monster book which takes itself a bit too seriously.
It began well but towards the midpoint began losing it's steam and in the end reached a rather predictable and dull conclusion.Worth a read if you are bored.

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Jan 09, 2013 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow. Now for something completely different. This is a story of a young man who takes a year long post on a tiny deserted island in the antarctic. The previous tenant is still in residence and behaving very strangely indeed. If that wasn't bad enough, every night hundreds of malevolent creatures come out of the sea and try to storm the lighthouse and cottage. Seriously weird and scary!

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Apr 20, 2013 Chalchihut rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nice imagination but it lacks the background story details. Let's say maybe I missed, but in every chapter, I had more questions of the details about the story's construction. Maybe those details were not important comparing to the thing it tried to give us. Still, I think a good writing is being able to make it whole, not leaving the background informations behind.
It was worth to read, but in my opinion, it wasn't worth for awards.

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Nov 09, 2012 Wendy Hamilton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until the very end when it tossed me aside as if I was no longer important. An allegory for colonialism? Maybe. But really it seems a complete waste of an idea to me to spend so much time and effort in creating this crazy island and it's monsters just to end abruptly with "people suck". That's all I got out of it. I loved the adventure and hated the ending.

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About Albert Sánchez Piñol

Albert Sánchez Piñol was born in Barcelona in 1965 and is an anthropologist and writer. His writing has appeared in several journals, and Cold Skin is his first novel. Already translated into fifteen languages, it won the Ojo Critico Narrativa prize on its original publication in Catalan in 2003.

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