Under the Skin

By: Michel Faber

Narrated by: Gerri Halligan

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

An incredibly powerful and unsettling thriller, here is the audio edition of Michel Faber’s debut novel, read by Gerri Halligan.

Isserley spends most of her time driving. But why is she so interested in picking up hitchhikers? And why are they always male, well-built, and alone?

An utterly unpredictable and macabre mystery, Michel Faber's debut is an outstanding piece of fiction that will stay with you long after you have finished listening.

©2012 Michel Faber (P)2012 Canongate Books

Enthralling macabre story...unexpectedly good read

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes I have recommended it to my book club to stretch us out of our usual comfort zone. The subject matter is macabre and unsavoury, but it's a bit like a road accident...you know you don't want to look but find yourself rubbernecking anyway.

What other book might you compare Under the Skin to and why?

Cannot compare as it is the first I have read of this style

What three words best describe Gerri Halligan’s performance?

Competent, engaging, clear.

Could you see Under the Skin being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Scarlett Johanssen is already being cast in the lead of the movie I think.

Any additional comments?

Worth stepping outside your normal reading comfort zone for this story.

abrupt ending

spent the whole book on the edge of knowing what was going on and the point of it all, just to end up at what i personally felt was an unsatisfactory ending. the writing itself is phenomonal and the story is kept pace well, its just all the questions unanswered that takes me down a bit. of course im sure this was Fabers intention, but i feel a work so intricately detailed and a world built just beyond reach deserves its specifics revealed.

Very well done

Enjoyed the story. The narrator was excellent, very good use of different accents and intonations.

Buy The Paperback Instead

Although the story was quite enjoyable, I had to stop listening with 4hrs 36mins left on the recording. The sole reason for this was the cringe worthy attempt at Scottish accents for male characters by a female, English narrator. It became painful to listen to at times, so much so that I found it necessary to sacrifice the rest of the story (which I had become very interested in completing) in order to abort mission and listen to the radio instead, (the only station I could find was running a three hour long 80's power-ballad special, which may give you some indication as to the conviction of my opinion on the matter).

I will however order the paperback in order to see the story through. Faber has done a wonderful job of creating a setting for what is shaping up to be a very dark and unpredictable story. I am very much looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.