Summer in the Land of Skin

by Jody Gehrman

Searching for the truth surrounding her father's death, Anna Medina arrives in the town of Bellingham, Washington, where she moves in with a guitar player and his girlfriend, embarking on a gin-soaked journey of self-discovery that forces her to confront her past. Original.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Coming Of Age, Summer

314 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2012

About the author

Jody Gehrman is a native of Northern California, where she can be found writing, teaching, reading, or obsessing over her three cats most days. She is also the author of eleven novels and numerous award-winning plays. Her debut suspense novel, Watch Me, was published by St. Martin's Press. Her other adult novels are Bombshell, Notes from the Backseat, Tart, and Summer in the Land of Skin. Her Young Adult novels include The Truth About Jack, Audrey's Guide to Black Magic, Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft, Babe in Boyland, Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty, and Triple Shot Bettys in Love. Babe in Boyland was optioned by the Disney Channel and won the International Reading Association's Teen Choice Award. Her plays have been produced or had readings in Ashland, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and L.A. She and her partner David Wolf won the New Generation Playwrights Award for their one-act, Jake Savage, Jungle P.I. She is a professor of Communication at Mendocino College.

Reviews

[Sarah Hadd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprising read! Not at ALL what red dress ink is known for... I almost wonder if this book would have gotten more publicity on a different publishing company... but this was a deep, dark look at a side of life I'd never want to experience but didn't want to put down either.

[Melanie is on Storygraph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost feel bad for Jody Gherman that this was published by Red Dress Ink, because if it was under a mainstream publisher's name I think it could have been an Oprah book or something. This definitely wasn't "chick lit" - not fluffy and funny, but a coming-of-age type story done really, really well. It was fabulous, made me think, and reminded me a little of Paint It Black by Janet Fitch. I don't know if that's due to the whole suicide angle, or if it's a similarity in the writing, but either way it was a great book, highly recommended, and "not chick lit".

[Talea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute, an easy chick-lit read. Sort of stereotypical teenage-girl-growing-up kind of book, pretty predictable but a nice easy read for those times you don't want to give your brain too much of a workout.

[Anastasia Karel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book, but I was a little disappointed by the ending, hence only 3 stars. I'd be interested in reading a book about the main character's parents, which is already a sub-plot in this story, but could easily stand by itself.

[Janice Martel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

just meh. An ok book about a summer that helped a young woman with depression and abandonment issues. Skip it unless you are really interested in the career of a luthier-- guitar maker.

[Book]

Red Dress Ink did some smart, unusual books back in the day and this is one of them.

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring - eloquent, at times, but utterly pointless

[Alphawoman · Rating 2 out of 5]

After several false starts on books that just did not seem that interesting...reading 70 pages here, 50 pages there, I finally picked up the least likely from the trip to the Highland Library SITLOS by Ms. Gehrman.

I was sitting at poolside in Ohio when Joe asks "whats it about". And I said something like this (I was about 70 pages into it) Its about this girl whose father committed suicide and she sits in windows with binoculars and watches people. She them makes up stories about them and sketches their suicides in notebooks and what happens to them on 'the other side'.

Oh.

She goes looking for her fathers business partner, they hand made guitars, who may shed some light on her father who passes when she was 11 and her mother avoids the subject.

I like most the characters and I enjoyed the unfolding of the story. You knew it was going to end well, that she was going to find the link to her Dad and in succeeding ,the link to what is missing in her. Her connection to people, so undeveloped, is kicked into high gear immediately and her life goes from watching people from the safety of her window to dressing in canary yellow go-go boots.

Not much literary value here. A good poolside read and maybe the lightness I needed.

[Lyndsey Nicole Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about Anna, Arlan and Lucy. A lot of it deals with Anna's dad whom killed himself. Now that Anna is older, she wants answers. She doesn't have much of an relationship with her mother so she ends up leaving. Rosie, her aunt, tells her where to go.

This is where we meet Elliott Bender aka Benders. Anna's dad and him had a guitar shop. Worked on old ones, made their own. Anyways, Benders ends up giving Anna letters her dad wrote. Unlocking some of his past, Benders and even a little of her own.

She ends up living with Lucy and Arlan for the summer. Anna has been a loner ever since her dad died so it was cool seeing her change and blossom. Maybe even broke a pattern. She learns and grows.

[Francesca Rock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holy crap. So glad that's over. I haven't read a book this douchetastic in a while. It was almost impressively douchey.

Seriously. It was just so incredibly pretentious. Honestly - who gives a shit about the taste of the air in the bar and similar descriptions - just makes you sound like an idiot.

Ah! This book just tried WAY too hard. I obviously didn't like it - I can't even describe it more than that. And the final line, about the smell of the rain, HAHAHA, bull shit!

So yeah - I've said nothing constructive - just don't read it. Oh, and I'll never be reading anything from her again.

Check out more of my reviews (they're generally nicer) at http://whatabookbitch.blogspot.ca

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and flawless painted settings/scenes.
Gehrman did a wonderful job with this novel, in my opinion, because of how all the characters and the plot were so complex and very multi-dimensional. Every character were complex in that all of them were so flawed and troubled and each had their own problems. You develop empathetic and sympathetic feelings towards the characters; there was no way to dislike any character.
And the setting(s) was absolutely beautiful, like a painting, and the way she described it in her writing is unforgettable.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna is a 25-year-old "watcher": she'd rather observe life than actually live it, and sketches her imagined scenarios of the people she watches. When a friend sends her to Bellingham, WA, home of her deceased father's best friend, it becomes the summer that changes her. Impulsively, and not at all like her usual self, she crashes at the home of someone she's known for only a few hours and becomes a resident there, in what she calls the "Smoke Palace".
Lyrical and moving, the beginning propels you through its thick spine.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't a typical Red Dress Ink book.
Anna is dealing with and continues to hurt from her father's suicide 14 years ago. Her mother doesn't like to speak about him, so she turns to her aunt. Her aunt tells her some things she never knew. Anna heads to Bellingham, OR, in search of Bender, her father's friend and fellow guitar crafter. She wants to learn the art and more about her father. She also meets Anna, Arlan, Grady and others. They all have their own issues and more then enough troubles.

[Victoria Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up "Summer in the Land of Skin" in an airport in an attempt to thwart boredom on a long flight, and this book served its rightful purpose. The language is beautiful and strikes a myriad of emotion in the reader, but unfortunately, the emotion seems to fall a little short on our emotionally numb narrator. The story is awkwardly humorous and sometimes realistically tragic, but there's definitely a piece of everybody in it somewhere

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand why Gehrman received a six-figure advance for this debut novel. A story at once hopeful and tragic, it chronicles the summer of awakening discoveries for Anna, the daughter of a guitarist/luthier/father who committed suicide and the harpist/techy/mother whose secret life destroyed the underlying stitches that hemmed the family together.

A poignant, rambling journey full of fun and quiet surprises, Summer in the Land of Skin will remind you of the importance of living today.

[Tracy Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm generally not huge on chick lit, so i was hesitant about this book (red dress ink tends to be very SATC-type stuff, which i love on tv but not so much in my novels), but it's much more "coming of age" than anything else. way better than the usual "single professional girl in the big city looking for love" type of thing, with interesting, well-drawn characters and some really lovely passages.

[Sarah]

I read this book way back when it was first published and loved it. I just found it in a pile of old books and looked up the publisher to see if they still exist. Sadly, they were taken over by Harlequin, folded into their Chick Lit line and then dissolved. Too bad, because they published some good stuff. It looks like the author now writes YA, so I may check out some of her new stuff.

[Sharmon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite....I actually put it down for 6 months with just a few chapters to go and wasn't compelled to finish it again until I was cleaning my desk. I thought that I would just Love the depressed character of Anna and would love to hear her story but I just didn't fall in love with her.

[Mellissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I thought it addressed mental illnesses like depression well without being so obvious. As well as dealing with toxic relationships between family, lovers, and friends. I liked that the ending was, without spoilers, more realistic than a lot of YA books.

[Charity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good overall. Story lulled in places, but it was still an entertaining read.

[Ana Manwaring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jodiy Gehrman's first published novel is brilliant and quirky. It gives me an example to strive for with my own novels. A very sastisfying read.

[Sue Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quirky, edgy and different. I like Jody's voice very much in this book the character's inner dialoge is very nicely conveyed

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this book! It was an easy read and kept me coming back for more. VERY descriptive, allowing you to really get immersed in the setting and story. A great summer/holiday read!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked this book. wasnt fanstastic. but was nice. ;)

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not chic lit. I had a hard time getting into it because I picked it up and was expecting an easy read since RDI published it. Not so much the Vacation Beach Read that I wanted.

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and once I started I couldn't seem to put it down! I didn't think the ending was that great, it left me wanting more to read and to see what happened next.

[Cupcakencorset · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not typical chick lit, this book has more depth of emotion and really resonates.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, although if you have ever spent time in the Pacific NW it becomes bothersome when the narrator describes summer in the NW and some geographical issues in Bellingham.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! Dark and funny at the same time it did a great job of delving into the mind of the less than whole.