Under The Skin

By Michel Faber

A brilliantly told and beautifully written novel that defies categorization, Under the Skin introduces Isserley, a woman obsessed with picking up male hitchhikers— so long as they're well-muscled and alone. But why? As the story unfolds and the reason is made explicit, the reader is drawn inexorably into a completely unexpected and increasingly terrifying world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781443433006

Michel Faber

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

Reviews for Under The Skin

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've had this book since 2014, glad to finally finish it. It was a quick read. I did not know that the author, Micehl Faber, is considered to be a Scottish Author (he lives there now), a Dutch author (he was born there), and an Australian author (most of his school years were spent there). According to Wikipedia, his themes are not particular to any of the countries but "European". Under the Skin is the first of his books to be published. This story is science fiction and horror. The protagonist Isserley is picking up hitchhikers. This story is set in Scotland. The reader is slowly given more and more information about why she is picking up these hitchhikers and what Isserley is and what she has gone through to obtain this job. There is a grossness to this book when you find out what is being done with these male hitchhikers. It's a bit disconcerting to find that Isserley and her compatriots view these hitchhikers as animals and they, the humans. Its themes include sexism, big business, factory farming, and cruelty. Over all the book was a fast read, entertaining (however gross), and a bit preachy. I don't think I would want to see this movie.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Under the Skin by Michael Faber is a strange story that grows progressively weirder as it develops. Set in the Scottish Highlands the story slowly reveals that the main character, Isserley, spends her time driving around the roads of Northern Scotland and picks up hitchhikers. She doesn’t pickup women, and only stops for well developed, muscular men. After getting them into her car she guides the conversation to have her passenger reveal what ties they have and who would miss them if they don’t show up at their destination.As the story moves along, the reader eventually discovers the purpose behind Isserley’s quest. The story grows ever darker and more terrifying. As more of Isserley’s character is revealed, the harder it is not to feel some empathy for her, although she certainly shows none for her victims. In truth, Isserley is an extraterrestrial who has been surgically altered to roughly take the human form. Her victims are drugged, mutilated, fattened and then shipped to her home planet for food.With Under the Skin the author has delivered a beautifully written horror story with touches of macabre humor and, like many classic science fiction novels, this is a satirical novel with themes that revolve around the exploration of issues of humanity and other social concerns. I was totally spellbound by this brilliant, surreal exploration of morality but would caution that this story can be brutally graphic at times. This book deserves it's place on the 1,001 Books List and was a five star read for me.

[abycats_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is every bit as weird as the movie now out with Scarlett Johannson. The tale is told from the perspective of a female alien sent out to pick up hitch-hikers who are then gelded, muted, fattened and slaughtered for food. In order to accomplish this task, our heroine(?)'s body has been brutally altered to enhance her appeal to the males she lures into her car. In the process, it becomes more and more difficult for her to feel part of her own race. She also has to deal with an increasing number of surprises she learns about humans. This is definitely an odd scifi novel but I'm finding it worthwhile in a peculiar way. Not for everyone.

[citizenjoyce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a bizarre novel about the dangers of the class system, aliens and exploitation of those who are considered the other. There is one shock after another from the first chapter to the end. I highly recommend it.

[mirshad-9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It'll take me a while to sort out my feelings about this book. Quite haunting.

It's very different from the film, indeed it's a lot better, and also very sad.

[madana.joy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have given this rating as I could not put it down and read it in one day. The merit of this book lies in the author's writing style, deceiving in the unobtrusive language and yet heavy imprinting of layers of ideas. Its slow worming of tension builds and leaves a nice pleasant state of confusion about perspectives.

[sovranty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What's the difference between us and them? Is it perceived intelligence that makes the difference? Is it within moral bounds to slaughter a species that is different simply because you cannot understand their ways? If you become less like us and more like them, do you cease to see the differences and see more of the similarities?And what happens when you can be neither one of us nor one of them, even though being such gives you a better life than what you could have had? Sacrificing what made her lowly may have made her integral, but it also makes her lonely and regretful when she realizes she is not unique.

[questbird · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A strange SF tale in which a lonely alien disguised as a human female drives around picking up male hitchhikers to turn them into meat products for export off-world.

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Defies categorisation" declares the bumf on the back cover and I have to agree. I have never read anything quite like this before. In terms of its "otherness", I think "His Dark Materials" came closest, but in reality this is much, much more sinister. A lone woman drives around the Scottish Highlands picking up male hitchhikers, but for what purpose? And there is something distinctly strange about her. Where does she come from? This book is all about the answers to those questions, as the big picture gradually becomes clear.Aside from the impressive suspense element of the novel and its originality, what I liked very much was the writing style. All the hitchers get their bit of the narrative, each with their own distinct voice, so we get to know a bit about them as well as seeing the aforementioned driver Isserley through their eyes. I loved some of the descriptions (eg "...his eyes were bloodshot and full of stoically endured pain which only tsunamic revenge and the grovelling apologies of world leaders could hope to cure").Potential spoilers in this paragraph ******* I did wonder, once we got to the business end of the book, about the feasibility of some of it. If it were fact not fiction, someone somewhere must have seen or suspected something, surely. And Isserley's understanding and use of English was perfect in some parts of the story, enabling her to improvise conversations with the hitchers, but when it suited the narrative, it was inadequate. Those were my only issues to be honest, for the most part I loved this book. And as a vegetarian it brought a wry smile to my face.

[isis27-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did really enjoy this weird though very weird!

[calisoleil · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Bizarre. Well written but not, in my opinion, an enjoyable read. About half-way thru I lost interest.

[maneekuhi · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I read a very positive review of "Under the Skin", assumed it was a crime fiction story, and decided to buy it. When I was not very far into the story it became obvious that what I was reading was clearly SF, science fiction. Interestingly, as I scanned the excerpts from reviews on Amazon's page, I didn't see any reference to the label SF; rather the book is a "psychological thriller", an "allegory", and it "defies description". No it doesn't, it's science fiction. Has "science fiction" become dirty words in the book industry? Is it a sales killer? Would I have read this if I had seen such a tag before purchase? Well, quite truthfully, probably not.The story is about a buxom young woman who picks uip male hitchhikers daily, and sometimes more frequently. It is not really a spoiler to tell you that getting in her car seals their fate. The story is told in the third person but only from the POV of Isserley, the driver. That becomes somewhat boring. The pickups, while all somewhat different of course, nevertheless, also become boring in their routine. Like a lot of sf, the story has its own vocabularly. And then there are the other characters.....boring, boring. I was anxious for it to end; on to the next book. I cannot recommend "Under The Skin", but I do note that large numbers o readers rate it a 4, so I am clearly in the minority. What I will recommend is that you read a chapter or so of the book before committing money and time to it. (A final thought that just occurred - I think this story would have made a very good episode on Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone", a 30 minute TV show from long ago.)

[cecilturtle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Whereas I found the dystopia a great - and effective - way to tackle the moral conundrum of eating animals, the story itself just did not appeal to me. Although I was quite willing to suspend disbelief with this extraterrestrial industry, I just couldn't buy that so many disappearances would go unnoticed in Scotland. The novel would have been much more believable in the favelas of Basil or shantytowns in Africa. Also, I didn't feel that I could relate to any of the characters, although Isserley is really quite a tragic figure. I would have liked more background into her past to understand what pushed her into such a dire decision... the whole premise is just too superficially presented.I had much greater expectations after The Crimson Petal and the White, which I loved. Although an intriguing read, not necessarily one I would recommend.

[cygnoir_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For fear of giving any part of the plot away, I won't be reviewing this book. I read it in one day, practically in one sitting, because it was so riveting, so weird, and so beautiful I couldn't bear to be away from it. Take a chance and experience this story without reading anything else about it.

[booklove2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one will be tough to say anything about without giving too much away.. and it really likes to unravel its mysteries. (One site said one word that kind of gave away a lot for me - kind of ruined it!) I'll just say the main character likes to pick up hitchhikers. Usually, a driver should be worried about the dangers of picking up hitchhikers, but the opposite is true here. I like the brief narrative delve into each hitchhiker's thoughts. This book is dark and keeps getting darker. I'm surprised a movie is being made. This one seems too dark even for movies. Very mysterious! I wish I could say more... but it will take everything you think this book is about and flip it upside down. An odd duck in general and an odd duck for the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.

[wolfseule · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The greatest, weirdest, wildest, most beautiful ethical discussion in form in a novel you could imagine.

[athurman-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Much richer than the movie, which was itself quite good.

[nivramkoorb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I decided to read this book because his new novel came out and there were positive comments about this book. I really don't want to get too much into the plot, but this is a very creative book which is well written and deals with lots of different issues. It is science fiction. The story unfolds slowly but the book should be looked at from the perspective of how would an alien view our world. It does get into issues of how we treat animals etc. The book creates enough questions about the issues in the story that may put some people off but in terms of creativity, this was an excellent read.

[zjakkelien · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well. I fail to see what all the fuss is about. I think it's probably because Faber is mixing genres: it is marketed as literature, while to me it is clearly science fiction. I wonder if this novel would have gotten as much acclaim if it would have been a little less pretentious. Not to say it's a bad book. It was interesting. What I liked the most was the slow reveal of what was going on, aided by tricking the reader a bit by our preconceived notions. But all the 'big issues' that I suppose is what makes this literature I thought were obvious. Sure, interesting enough (although I think it is more about the meat industry then about what makes humans human), but not that mind blowing. I really think the fuss is due to the fact that this is read by non-SF readers who are more suprised by some of the notions.

[cmlloyd67 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Possibly one of the better satirical science fiction novels that I've read. It reminds me a great deal of Philip K. Dick's Three Stigmata of Palmer K. Eldritch and George Orwell's Animal Farm in varying degrees, yet at the same time it is unique and different from anything I've read before.

The story is told in a third person close point of view, we are in Issery, the protagonist's point of view throughout the majority of the novel. The only times we veer out of her point of view is when she picks up hitchers. And only when the hitchers are sitting beside her, and only to the degree that they are thinking about Issery.

Issery drives the lonely highways of Northern Scotland picking up muscle bound male hitch-hikers, only the best specimens will do. She calls them vodsels, animals, not human. Issery herself is described as tiny, so tiny that her chin is barely above the steering wheel. She has massive breasts, a child's cherubic face, and huge glasses that magnify her pupils. Her hands, neck, arms, and face are deeply scarred as if she has been in an accident.

Various clues are provided throughout the first 100 or so pages of the novel indicating who and what Issery is and what she is doing with the various male hitchers she picks up and deposits at Ablache Farms. The plot centers on the mysterious arrival of Amilis Vess, the son of the owner of Vess Enterprises which in turn owns Ablache Farms.

In Under the Skin, Faber much like Philip K. Dick before him discusses the contemporary world gone insane. Where corporations and bottom line take precedence. And the myriad of justifications we make each day to either survive in this world or to obtain pleasure.

Towards the end of Under the Skin, a hitcher asks Issery what she believes in. And she retorts, where she came from religion is dead. Humans in Issery's world believe only in themselves. They are the Gods of their universe. Yet instead of acting like caretakers, they are more akin to locusts...destroying everything they touch, including themselves, for the pleasures of the rich and the elite - a dark dystopian ride a la Adolus Huxeley's Brave New World.

Faber's writing is top-notch. One of the few writers who can tackle dialect and made up words without losing meaning. His use of dialect pulls the reader deeper inside Issery's point of view and inside her head. And it remains consistent without.

But this is not a tale for everyone. It is gross in places and creepily erotic in others. A disturbing book in much the same vein as Philip K Dick, Jonathan Swift, Sherri Templer, and George Orwell.

The ending however was surprisingly hopeful.

[brokentune · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is one book you want to read without knowing much about it.

However, that makes writing a review for this book a hell of a task because I can't tell you about the salient points of this book that are both scary and funny at the same time.

And there were so many aspects modern life that Faber picked up and turned on their head in this - his first - book.

So, the only thing I will say is that it follows the story of Isserly, who picks up hitchhikers in northern Scotland and that I would be wary of hitching a ride on the A9.

*edited 15.Feb.16 as original description slightly misleading!

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This wasn't for me, for me the message was more important than the story and that turns me off in a book. Yes you should think about things but it felt like outright preaching.Isserley cruises the roads in Scotland picking up hitch-hikers to bring to the farm for processing. She muses about her fate and her place in this world, a world she's an outsider in.Not my kind of book. This plot has been done by others and better.

[carpe_librum · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Under The Skin by Michel Faber is the weirdest book I've read in quite a while; and that's certainly saying something.In this science fiction come horror novel, the main character Isserley trawls the road looking for male hitchhikers to pick up, although early on in the novel her purpose is unclear. What is clear is that her appearance is different, she has scars criss-crossing her body and she refers to the men she is hunting as vodsels.Hailed as "An Animal Farm for the next century" and with reviews claiming it "Teases and prods the reader up a plethora of literary blind alleys before hauling them screaming towards its final, thrilling destination" I was really looking forward to something special from Michel Faber, author of The Crimson Petal and the White.Did I get it? Well sadly, no. I spent the entire book waiting for the big reveal. The explanation or the backstory explaining the difference between humans and vodsels and Isserley's own history. I was rewarded with snippets, but it was never explained to my satisfaction.I just had a look at the offerings on Wikipedia regarding Under The Skin, and the contents regarding the plot were a complete surprise to me; how could I have missed that? I have no idea, either it wasn't spelled out well or I'm a fool. Either way, this supposedly literary dynamite offering from Michel Faber was a let down for me.Surprisingly it's being made into a film starring Scarlett Johansson, so of course I'll have to watch it just to see what they do with it. It might even shed some light on the book for me.

[literaryfeline · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I read The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber for an online book group a few years ago. It is a historical novel set in the 1800's about a prostitute who is taken in by a married man as his concubine. I really enjoyed the novel, especially the author's writing and approach to the social issues of the day. His characters weren't particularly likeable, but they were interesting and connecting with them was no problem. After reading The Crimson Petal and the White, I knew I wanted to read more by the author.Fast forward to this past month. Under the Skin by Michel Faber was the February selection for the face to face book group I recently joined. I was both excited and eager to jump in and give it a try. My husband just happened to have a copy of the book, having received it as a Christmas gift the year before last.The description of the book on the back cover is very vague, offering only that the book is about a woman who picks up a certain type of hitchhiker--well-built males with no attachments and very few commitments. I read no reviews of the book going in and so had no idea what to expect. Was this a serial killer novel? Was the protagonist, Isserley, an alien or some sort of supernatural being or just a psychopath? It was clear from the first that something bad was happening to the men she picked up. I don't think that's much of a spoiler. And perhaps by sharing my initial speculations about who--or what--she might be, I am giving too much away.Sounds interesting, right? It was. To a degree. The novel held so much potential, but it fell flat for me. I was taken in at first but soon began to wonder where the novel was going. So little happened in the first half or so of the book--it just meandered along. It seemed as if the author was attempting to reveal a little bit more about Isserley and her purpose as the story unfolded, which he did. I just wish the reveals hadn't been so drawn out.Like with The Crimson Petal and the White, Faber tackles pertinent social issues in Under the Skin, including corporate greed and classism. At times I swear the author was trying to turn me into a vegetarian. I came away from the book feeling like I was being preached to--the messages being too obvious and strong.My new book group met the last Saturday in February to discuss our thoughts about Under the Skin. And I think the discussion went quite well. Only one person mentioned liking the book. The rest of us were less satisfied. I did walk away from the discussion with added insight to the book just the same. I can't tell you how good it felt to be a part of a book discussion like that. I have only really experienced book discussions on line and, while great in their own right, there's something to be said about an in-person discussion, people bouncing ideas off each other as you go.I think what I most got out of the discussion was a clearer impression about the main character. I never really warmed to her as I read the book; but during the discussion, I began to have more empathy for her. There was a point while reading the book that I thought how much she was like so many people, wrapped up in her own world, insecure and just trying to survive. She was reluctant to see the world any differently than how she had for so long seen it, coping as best she could. As the novel progressed, she grew, however subtly and reluctantly. I wish, as the reader, I'd been privy to more of her back story. I think I might have found her more relatable if I had known a little more of what she had been through in her earlier years. The book hints at it, but I never got the full picture. But perhaps that is part of the point. Like Isserley who kept an emotional distance from the men she picked up, the reader is kept at arm's length to get a better understanding of what she was experiencing. Or it could just be me.When all is said and done, I still can't say I liked Under the Skin. I didn't hate it though. I think it made a good book for a group discussion even if hardly anyone in the group liked it. Perhaps that's what made it even more discussion worthy.

[lostshadows · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

To start, this book has one of the worst jacket summaries I've run across in years. (Note: Not the same as the ones here.) My first impression was that this was going to be a book about a female serial killer. Its actually a fantasy novel. Unfortunately, it's the kind of fantasy novel you get when an author decides they're writing a serious book, rather than that genre crap. The basic premise has potential. Isserley, and her people, are real human beings, and view vodsels (us) as no better than animals. Isserley, and one of her co-workers, have undergone painful and extensive surgery so they can passably blend in with vodsels without attracting too much attention. This allows them to set up shop on a farm in Scotland, where Isserley brings hitchhikers she has determined are suitable for their purposes. The book suffers from a lack of basic world building. I never got the impression that the author bothered to figure out much about the society of real human beings. I was left with the impression that they were kind of like us, but lived underground, and didn't look like us. There's also no explanation over the name. I wouldn't expect another species to think of us as human beings. But if another race, with a different language, uses that term for themselves, I want to know why. The book also suffers from problems with the point of view. Most of the book is told from Isserley's point of view. However, every time she picks up a hitchhiker we get to see inside their head for a brief period. The shifts aren't jarring, but most of them don't add anything to story. There's only one that adds something that couldn't be conveyed by other means, but there's no payoff. In fact, the lack of payoff is probably the biggest problem this book has. The author sets up something that seems to promise an interesting twist to the story, and then nothing happens. An important visitor from back home shows up unexpectedly, criticizes using vodsels for food, and Isserley finds herself attracted to him. Then he goes home. Near the end of the book, Isserley makes a bad choice of vodsel in a moment of panic. Yet, since it's late in the book, we only get to find out he's been reported missing and the cops are looking for information. Isserley decides she wants a different life than this, then the author drops a bridge on her. Over all, the book shows promise that Michel Faber could write something interesting, but this isn't it.

[ten_floors_up · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Here in the UK a TV adaptation of a later Michel Faber book has recently been screened (and fairly heavily trailed). though I missed it but it sounded interesting. On the principle of 'start at the very beginning', I picked out Faber's first novel at my local library. 'Under the Skin' is deftly written, underplayed in many ways and gently gathers pace in a very compelling way. In other hands (if for example someone like Martin Amis had written it) this story could have turned into a showy, look-at-me-and-my-craft treatment, a temptation very skillfully resisted here. Even the moral aspects are never really rammed home, despite some of the upsetting features of the story. A good and thought-provoking read, that doesn't really belong in any genre, and is all the better for it.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

An interesting idea, and marvellous descriptions of the A9 and the land it cuts through, but over all I found this rather tedious and rather pointless.

[the_awesome_opossum · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Under the Skin contains more "gotchas" than any piece of self-respecting piece of literature ought to have. It's a dystopian novel featuring a mysterious industry to whom we are introduced in the beginning of the novel when its 'bounty hunter' Isserly goes cruising for hitchhikers. The story unravels - never completely, but tantalizingly - as we learn more about Isserly's job and who exactly has employed her. The book oscillates between an understated suspense/horror story and a social statement about the meat industry and the value of life. So I wasn't sure where I stood, as a reader - should I appreciate the clever story (I did) or the Insightful Social Commentary (eh) as the essence of the book? I'm still undecided, but while I'm figuring it out, this is a fun and gripping read at least.

[michaeldwebb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, this was nice, wasn't it? A kind of sci-fi/horror thing, or maybe a bit of a rant against the meat industry? I'm not sure really, but it wasn't particularly pleasant. I can't say too much about the plot - it wouldn't be fair as it's fun the way in unravels. Let's just say it isn't a Crimson Petal of a book, but well worth reading.

[maz74_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A part of me wants to give this book five stars for pure originality. It really is unlike anything I have ever read and I doubt I will come across anything like it again. It turns the tables on the issues of meat-eating versus vegetarianism, raising really important questions on morality and ethics. However, past this, it falls flat. A moral story only works within the confines of a tightly written plot, which unfortunately has a lot of holes in. The story has nowhere to go, and who the characters are is never really answered. This book could have been a genius, but just doesn't quite make it. Maybe I expected too much being the writer of the most amazing Crimson Petal and the White, but it just didn't deliver to its full potential.