Under the Skin
Ratings86
Average rating3.6
I personally didn't find it as creepy or unsettling as others may have but the story was kind of interesting at least
A novel that starts deeply fascinating but loses steam about halfway through. I agree with some other reviewers that the book seems to slow down significantly after Amlis frees the vodsels and they're recuperated.
Still, Faber touches on themes of class, capitalism, veganism, misogyny, environmentalism ... If nothing else, Under the Skin is interesting for the sheer scope of topics integrated into Isserley's life.
This was so weird, but in a great way. I love books where the plot is not exactly laid out to you, and so you get to put the pieces together yourself, while also not being too ambiguous. That's what this book felt like to me.
Like someone else already mentioned, this does place an unnecessary importance to Isserly's boobs, but that was probably the only thing I can say I didn't like about this book.
There are so many themes of rape, sexism, elitism, big business, farming, and what it means to be human. They're all discussed in very subtle ways.
I found the writing style to be quite beautiful too.
Overall I had a great experience reading this book, and it makes me want to read more sci-fi.
I thought this book was well-written, and the story is well presented and told. But what most stands out is the statement it makes about certain aspects of our way of life and our attitude toward certain other sentient beings. I don't want to disclose spoilers, so I'll leave it there. It's surely worth a read.
I came to the book after seeing the movie from 2013, which leaves much open to interpretation. In the end I thought the story told in the book is not done justice by the movie. But I do think the movie stands on its own. While it's very well done, the book's plot is not held up and in the end it may as well be a completely different story. I do wonder how the author, Michel Faber feels about it.
This book is a fun ride.
There are real-life issues discussed directly through hitchhikers the main character picks up, and then through fictional concepts resembling our own. Most of the characters are troubled and seen through the eyes of no mercy which is the intention. That's how we see livestock.
There are reviews stating that the overall concept makes less sense when you think about it, real-life meat farming also makes less sense when you think about it tho. Considering they only started to farm, I expect them to make many mistakes. There are other reviews being put off by sexual objectification, but that's the point, farmers objectify the livestock, in this case, themselves. There's a ton struggling to wrap their head around what's happening, it might be harder to grasp not knowing about the meat industry in the first place, it's as disgusting as in the novel.
The messy development the main character goes through is fun to witness. There's a ton of appreciation of nature.
The ending doesn't wrap it up in a satisfying way, it felt like it could have gone on for a bit more. This universe could be expanded and explored more. Overall it's a well-crafted, enjoyable read tho.
Couldn't put this one down. Layered with allegory and possible meanings, deeply feminist, but also darkly misanthropic (or maybe just misandronic?) and charming. I feel like this book could mean lots of different things to lots of different people. My personal read? It's about cycles of abuse and hurt people hurting people too. About capitalism and systems of oppression.
The writing could have been better. Definitely a first novel, and the end kind've petered out. Also a minor pet peeve, but I get annoyed when an author fills the book with ‘said' synonyms. Every character in this is either shouting or screeching or croaking or whispering or conceding or hemming or hedging or whining or cackling or etc etc etc. Just use ‘said' my man. It's too much.
Powerful novel though no matter what. Easy recommend. 5/5 I fucking loved it.
I found this one through Jen Campbell's Youtube channel. It was the way she sold it, I think, that made me pick it up. I knew the movie existed, but I have not yet watched it.
I very rarely give out 5 Stars, but then, I very rarely read a book that sinks it's hooks in so deep. Honestly, there is no way to describe this book without getting into the plot, so I'm going to say this: this is the closest I have ever come to reading something that feels like an episode of Black Mirror.
I think I'm fascinated with Isserley. I'm also enjoying the pondering of what genre to throw this in. Oh, well, everything can't be put in a box.
This is going to stick with me for a very long time. Do all of his books leave readers feeling like this?
Great movie. Great book. Terrible order to experience them in. The film is a great, mostly silent project that strays so far from the source material you could say they are related in premise only. We learn much more about the main character, named Isserley, her reasons for coming to Earth, and how she sees our species. The premise of an alien seducing hitchhikers in order to feed her people is a genius interweaving of themes on the meat industry, capitalism, gender relations and the media. As with the film, I'm sort of struggling to translate the themes into something more coherent, but I enjoyed this book very much.
Read this after seeing the movie–they sure are two different animals, both good in their own way, with different weaknesses.
This book had a haunting quality that I hadn't anticipated–there is a bit of heavy-handedness regarding animal rights stuff, which I'm sure was intentionally done, but aside from that it's got a lot going on, getting us to ask questions about identity, sexuality, our connections to others. The minimalist elements in it were appealing to me, and it has a strong, if a little abrupt, ending.
After reading Faber's Book of Strange New Things this one seems a bit heavy handed with a bit too neat an ending but it's still a compelling read in his familiar restrained style.
The movie adaptation distills the story down to it's barest essence but has only a glancing familiarity to the original text. The book is far more visceral and like Faber's latest book works on multiple levels.
An exceedingly boring story for much of it, and it was the last 100 pages that saved it. I found the plot to be very linear and repetitive and, given the nature of the ‘alien' characters, there was not a lot of joy to be found in character development. It was also seemed highly implausible that so many hitchhikers disappeared before the authorities caught on.
The use of words that the reader didn't entirely understand was more annoying than clever. Having said all that, it did become interesting as the central character had to deal with adverse events and a visit from a higher authority. Thank goodness for that!
Reading the synopsis of the movie, it barely resembles this book.
Delightfully strange. Abrupt ending leaves you wondering and maybe a bit unsatisfied. But still, the atmosphere and general weirdness of this book was enough for me to really enjoy it. Wasn't bored for a second.
I didn't like this book. Humans are dog like animals, and regular humans as we all know ourselves are, are called vodsels and are captured and fattened to feed the “humans”. I understand the point the author was trying to get across, but it should have been a much shorter book and a better ending.
