Has anyone read "Under The Skin" by Michael Faber?

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Just curious. I picked up a copy last night after remembering an curious review in the Observer last year. It's pretty weird (understatement) - Sci-fi disguised as contemporary lit. Not sure if I'd recommend it (even tho' it's v.well written IMO) 'cuz it made me feel a bit queasy.

x0x0

― "Jerry Cornelius", Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah - I read it. All a bit daft - the world it depicts doesn't really pass the suspenson of disbelief test . But yes, well written and I wanted to read to the end. Someone told me a film is being made of it, which might work quite well.

― Nick, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Looking back at it, yr probably right re "bit daft", but whilst reading it, I did get good suspension of disbelief, mainly due to the clever contrasting of the weirdness, and the mundane stuff abt the A9. Also, the flat prose helped (like J G Ballard, "High Rise"). What I thought was a very clunky was the metaphor w/the farm animals. I can't see this making a good film, even if tarkovsky were still alive....Anyway, I'll probably get the short story collection next week.

this is what I'm on about, by the way.

xoxo

― Norman fay, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three months pass...

Yes,

Read it. If it weren't as well written as it was, I'm sure I would have ditched it once I saw it leaving the realm of contemporary fictional reality. Still, I was interested in where it was going and even the goofy parts, like the ride under the stars with the idealist son of the corporate king, were written well and nothing made me want to dismiss even those on the edge of preachiness, message laden passages. The mundane descriptions of the A9 and the everyday difficulties of a being a Vodsel hunter are probably what makes the book. The hunt of the released Vodsels came close to being obscene as far as I am concerned. I'm thankful I just picked up the book and quickly read it knowing absolutely nothing of the story. If I'd known the plot and the quick twists were taken out of the reading for me, again I think I would have ditched the book. It's only good as a surprise. I'm certain no great social message was intended by Michael Faber and no great social message was delivered.

― Terpoline callolipi, Wednesday, 10 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Read it, it was alright. Didn't blow me away. Initial surprise is alright in usual-invaders-from-outer-space plot shocker. It just lacked something in the 2nd half. Totally forgot how the book ends (although this happens a lot to me, probably because most of the time I start speed-reading so I can start on this new cool book I just got).

― Omar, Thursday, 11 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three months pass...

Read this book now! The plot may be daft outwith the book, but within its pages the suspension of belief is total due to the excellence of the writing. So much more than just an invaders from outer space story it is a very clever satire on the way we treat other beings and each other and what we consider to be "normal" as well as attractive. This is one of the most perfectly constructed books I have ever encountered in terms of twists and inclusion of mundane detail. I cannot fault this book which has become my favourite of all time!

― James Bruce Sinclair, Friday, 11 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three weeks pass...

Read it and loved it. Very uneasy reading - horrific in a very unconventional way. Makes the stark beauty of Scotland seem vscary. Would recommend it to anyone looking for something diffferent. Comes in a skinlike slipcover for those who appreciate that kind of thing.

― Simeon, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thought "The Courage Consort" and "The Hundred and Ninety Nine Steps" were really very terrific indeed, so took the unusual step of embarking on the (for me) shelf-busting "UTS".

I like MF's prose a lot, but tend to fall on the "it's a bit daft" side of the fence on "UTS". Prefer not to think of it as pro-vegan allegory, because if it is, it's very clunky.

― Tim, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three months pass...

it's michel faber, actually. we publish him. people *always* spell his name wrong. http://www.canongate.net

― peter collingirdge, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oh and the film is being linked to jonathan 'sexy beast' guinness ad and new levis (a bit like crouching tiger) advert, co-produced by filmfour.

cheers

― peter collingridge, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ooh - he's good he is. My favourite ad director after Michel Gondry. I shall look forward to it.

― N., Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sorry to have come into this discussion very late, but have only just read "Under The Skin" and am very surprised that one aspect has not been mentioned. The story is clearly an allegory about intensive farming and how humans believe they have the right to treat animals in any way they see fit. Particularly surprising then that Terpoline Callolipi wrote on 10th October 2001 that the book delivers "no great social message".

― Cecelia Lewis, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well as Tim said above, I Prefer not to think of it as pro-vegan allegory, because if it is, it's very clunky.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm unsure about the film idea. Surely part of the suspense in the book comes from you having a slowly dawning idea of what everything looks like, esp. central character (can't remember her name). Everything is described from her viewpoint, a film would do away with much of the essential strangeness of the book.

― Anna, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes, I see - apologies Tim. I do however feel that the detailed picture of the way the vodsels were farmed served only to describe intensive farming and how horrendous it is. I must say, found the book incredibly sad.

― Cecelia Lewis, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If it *is* a farming allegory, surely it's free range rather than intensive?

I hear that MF's next book is a breeze block sized 're-thought Victorian novel'. Looking forward to that, while also hoping for more novellas.

― Tim, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well it's kind of half and half, isn't it Tim? I mean they're free range until they get caught but they're not slaughtered straight away, are they? They are kept in HORRID CAGES AND SUFFER A SLOW DEATH.

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

With their tongues cut out, which was the bit I couldn't cope with.

― Anna, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What, you were there thinking "But I wouldn't be able to TALK"?

― N., Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not that bad. It just sounded horribly painful and made me feel sick. I am sensitive about my tongue.

― Anna, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You're right, Nick. I suppose it's something like half and half.

― Tim, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How is it free range? They're not captive bred for the purpose admittedly, but they are stuffed into cages, mutilated and force fed, restricting easy movement. Anyway I think it could make a very good film but far to grisly for my liking.

― Cecelia Lewis, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

is this guy into music? i'm trading tapes with a Scottish guy with the same name as him and i can't work out if its the same person. He said people always spell his name "Michael" as well.

― hamish, Wednesday, 15 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think he's Dutch but lives in Scotland. The only music mentioned in his book was John Martyn and AC/DC!

― Cecelia Lewis, Thursday, 16 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments on Michel Faber whose work I admire. Thought some of you might enjoy reading a recent interview with him at The Barcelona Review - http://www.barcelonareview.com/29/e_mf_int.htm - which answers a few of the questions that have been posed.

― Jill Adams, Saturday, 13 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

Yous are all Mad!

― david h (david h), Saturday, 14 September 2002 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Just finished this last night - i think Nick is right, it pushes your suspension of belief to the limits but, for me, it just about pulls it off. That link to the Guardian review also hightlights my other (slight) problem with it, that faber doesn't really know where to take the story once we have understoof the workings of the thing (which actually somed pretty late i suppose) so it stalls 2/3rds of the way through. Theres a break just before chapter ten where it seems like he's starting the story from scratch and is about to move the goalposts (or at least the view) but that kind of ebbs away. Like others i found the farming analogy rather heavey handed. i kept thinking of it as a potoenitally great movie all the way through so i hope this is still on the cards.

Has anyone read "the Crimson Petal and the White"?

― jed (jed_e_3), Sunday, 21 December 2003 20:28 (twenty-one years ago)

somed = comes

― jed (jed_e_3), Sunday, 21 December 2003 20:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Crimson Petal and the White is one of the worst books I have ever read.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Sunday, 21 December 2003 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I read some of it a while ago--I read more than half, so I probably stopped right about where you said it stalls, jed. Reading it gave me really fucked-up, disturbing dreams.

I really liked Crimson Petal and the White. I picked up Under the Skin after reading that, actually. The subject matter is obv very different. A Victorian whore as the main character (in crimson petal and the white) as opposed to...um. Creepy Vodsel stuff.

I thought Under the Skin was an interesting book, but I've really not been in the mood for that sort of thing.

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Sunday, 21 December 2003 21:04 (twenty-one years ago)

same here - wierd dreams while i was reading it!

Tokyo Rosemary - care to elaborate?

― jed (jed_e_3), Sunday, 21 December 2003 21:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I hated it. Well, actually I loved it until the end, when it seemed like he just stopped writing and didn't know what to do with the story, which completely ruined the book for me. Maybe I should re-read it without the assumptions I had about it though; maybe my disappointemtn was just more that it didn't end the way I thought it would.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Sunday, 21 December 2003 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

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