Under the Skin

By: Michel Faber

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Hailed as “original and unsettling, an Animal Farm for the new century” (Wall Street Journal), this debut novel lingers long after the last moments have been played.

A “fascinating psychological thriller” (Baltimore Sun), this entrancing novel introduces Isserley, a female driver who scouts the Scottish Highlands for male hitchhikers with big muscles. She herself is tiny - like a kid peering up over the steering wheel. Scarred and awkward, yet strangely erotic and threatening, Isserley listens to her passengers as they open up to her, revealing clues about who might miss them should they disappear - and then she strikes. What happens to her victims next is only part of a terrifying reality.

At once humane and horrifying, Under the Skin takes us on a heart-thumping ride through dangerous territory: our own moral instincts and the boundaries of compassion. A grotesque and comical allegory and a surreal representation of contemporary society run amok, Under the Skin was internationally received as the arrival of an exciting talent, rich and assured.

©2000 Michel Faber (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A fascinating book…The fantastic is so nicely played against the day-to-day that one feels the strangeness of both…Remarkable.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Faber constructs a compelling, unusual tale about species difference and the limits of compassion. Under the Skin blends elements of science fiction, grotesque comedy, horror, and thriller into a genre-jumping meditation.” (Washington Post Book World)

“Original and unsettling, an Animal Farm for the new century…Michel Faber is a strong, moral voice, and this first novel promises great things for the future.” (Wall Street Journal)

Different from what I expected but kept my attention

I really didn’t find this audiobook scary or a “thriller” but rather a psychological analysis of an alien women. It had some very interesting moments around confining of other species and de-humanizing them in order to justify capturing, imprisoning, and killing. It’s a story really no different from our animal agriculture industry. It certainly kept my attention for a 10 hour drive home!

Wild ass book

Very fun and strange book and the reader did fantastic with the accents. Has its moment that drag, but don’t let it discourage. This is a good time.

Above Average Talent Bur Much in the Way of Unrealized Potential Here.

The authors decision to draw out this story into a novel by making it a mystery story in which the reality of what we’re reading / hearing is only very slowly revealed to us feels a bit manipulative and cheap if I’m being honest. The essence of what we’re presented with here could be handled in a much shorter work than this, and the fact that it’s longer serves little purpose.

Tits tits tits tits tits and tits. The main character had great big wonderful tits. Did I mention how great her tits looked glistening with a small beads of sweat slowly building in the cleavage above her tight black scoop neck t-shirt in the warmth of the overheated molecules of the atmosphere of her car’s interior.

All the tit-talk got to be a bit much.

The satire and social commentary was rather on-the-nose, unsubtle and clearly stated.

All this being said, there’s something quite haunting about the situation he’s created here and quite impressive and impactful and powerful.

I was left with the distinct feeling though that with more thought and care a much more sophisticated effective novel could have resulted here and the author had it in him if he’d spent more time thinking about what he was trying to say instead of merely relating the material details of the environment and events over and over again.

Mr. Faber’s novel ended up being a little too obvious and too didactic

Our narrator Fiona Hardingham was superb and quite talented in creating character accents, although needs to work on her male character’s masculinity. She was terrific otherwise.

The elephant in the room about this novel compared to the film made from it of course is that from a strictly narrative point of view the two bear little resemblance to each other. Clearly they share a basic premise but that’s about all. So be aware to dispense with any expectations you might have ahead of time. It’s unlikely to happen now of course, but a more literal, close adaptation of this novel is still possible and certainly would not feel entirely superfluous since most of the socio-political points from the novel weren’t included in the film, and the film instead had a very dreamlike surreal quality which the novel did not have at all … the novel was quite realistic in its approach. I’d certainly pay to see this novel adapted again to see the story of the novel’s version of Isserley and her story shown to me more faithfully.

Overall I’ll rate this audio book 3.5 / 5 stars. Enjoyable. Good satirical science fiction.

Excellent all around!

This author is by far one of the brightest literary stars. many layers in this story. It defies any one genre. very thought provoking. the narrator was also excellent.

Outstanding

Fantastic narration and incredible book. After reading this and Eating Animals I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat meat again.

Good listen.

I like stories where they give you a glimpse into the world and don’t completely spell it out. But a couple things bothered me about the book. They called themselves human and clearly are not, and they act like humans a dumb unintelligent creatures yet they act like/don’t know we have language. I liked it but seemed silly with these things sometimes.

stays with you, then get the film

novel: I very much like this one. It has some odd SF/horror elements that made me think of Well's Time Machine, not the time element, but the Morlocks and the Eloi. And then there is a little bit of the Man Who Fell to Earth identity confusion/struggle on the alien's behalf.

I don't want to give too much away, but there is a "huntress" looking for men. I thought there'd be a little more of the Piers Anthony Firefly idea but it's not really that at all. I do think a couple of the hunt episodes maybe run long, but not horribly. There is a rather horrific scene involving the men but in general I think the ideas are more horrible than any particular scenes. And in an odd way you come to identify with the girl. Much can be said about the ideas of body image and sexual attraction/predation.

film: If you are interested and want to see a very cool interpretation of this check out the film that just got released on disc/itunes. Artsy, impressionistic, very Kubrick-ian use of image, music, cinematography, and no easy answers and explanations. It is not a strict filming of the novel though but I thought it was fascinating.

This book is bleak and beautiful

I found this book to be one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever come across. It’s no surprise to learn that Michel Faber is a poet it oozes poetry in all of the beautiful and grotesque ways it could.
I felt for the main character in ways that you can only feel knowing you’re a cog in a machine that could not care less what happens to you. It makes me appreciate what I have around me, and it validates the anger I feel towards it as well. It’s dehumanizing of human beings brings perspective to our own ways of dehumanizing animals and even ourselves and others.
Finally, this book left me feeling hollow and empty. The search for meaning in my life, content in my job, and hatred for those around me abused by the same system that abuses myself is something that we all can struggle with. It does not provide you any answers. Should I hate my fellow man because he suffers at the hand of my abuser but comes out completely different? What solidarity can I find with those who cannot understand my pain? When it comes time for me to be off this earth, will it matter? These are questions that Under the Skin leaves for you to answer. And when it snows, some day we all will be there too.

I love this book. like a whole lot.

it's like nothing I've read before and it's fascinating and terrifying. not terrifying is an screaming way but in a way that crawls into you and infects your mind. makes you think and look into yourself. loved it.

Calmly Horrific!

Great story-saw the movie first, the book is way better. The two have very little in common. Read the book-slow, creeping discomfort.