Under The Skin

Michel Faber

Jul 2001 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

The basis for the film starring Scarlett Johansson, award-winning author Michel Faber's Under the Skin blends elements of science fiction, grotesque comedy, horror, and thriller into a genre-jumping meditation'' (Washington Post Book World).

Isserley cruises the Scottish Highlands picking up hitchhikers. Scarred and awkward, yet strangely erotic and threatening, she listens to her hitchhikers as they open up to her, revealing clues about who might miss them if they should disappear.

Under the Skin takes us on a heart-thumping ride through dangerous territory—our own moral instincts and the boundaries of compassion.

''A fascinating psychological thriller. . . [that] hovers between the real and the fantastic.''—Baltimore Sun

''Original and unsettling, an Animal Farm for the new century.''—Wall Street Journal

''A satiric novel eerie and touching in equal parts.''—San Francisco Chronicle

Ratings and reviews

A disturbing tale that explores several themes, including; feminism, social prejudice, environmentalism, animal cruelty, and what it means to be human.Isserley is a complicated character that I had mixed feelings about but she never ceases to be fascinating. All in alll, a story that is simultaneously beautiful and grotesque.

In prose both evocative and spare, Faber draws the reader into the world of hitchhiking along the A9, and then to the brink of alien humanity. An incredible read: literally spine-tingling, tear-jerking, and laugh-inducing, it would be a crime to not pick-up 'Under the Skin'.

I saw the movie first and was haunted by it. The book was captivating. I had a hard time putting it down. Interesting the way social issues are addressed in the book. I love it when a book evokes so many emotions.

About the author

Michel Faber's work has been published in twenty countries and received several literary awards. He lives in Scotland.