Under the Skin by Michael Faber

Mark W introduced the book by saying that he had recently seen the film and was left with a ‘what on earth was that all about’ feeling, and therefore hoped that  the book would fill in the gaps. He also did not expect that this book would have been the one of the four proposed that was the majority choice, being the first novel of a relatively unknown Scottish writer. Although not wanting to reveal his view of the book at this stage one point he wanted to make was that the book and film were significantly different in narrative and emphasis.

Steve opened the discussion by saying that he enjoyed the book from the beginning, that it was an easy read and well paced without being particularly challenging. It raised questions from the word go, and the gradual build up to the revelation was well handled. In the end he wasn't really sure what the book was actually about and wasn't sure that it actually reached a conclusion but was happy to be drawn wherever it took him. One minor frustration was the lack of background as to how and why the aliens got to Earth in the first place (a theme taken up by others to a greater or lesser extent).

Rob followed by saying that he wasn't sure what he though about the book. The elements were quite clear, the images were good and there was originality in the concept of the aliens being the humans. However he had two big problems. Firstly the credibility of the story: he felt that the continued disappearance of the hitch-hikers would have been followed up more and this caused him some irritation. Secondly, although the book introduced a lot of interesting ideas he felt the that lack of background on how the aliens got to Earth in the first place was a major negative and he was left wanting to know more about where they came from. Overall he just felt that there were too many gaps. Unlike Steve however, Rob liked the ending.

Chris B did enjoy reading the book. He suggested that there was a flavour of ‘Never Let me Go’ in the sense of the gradual build up to a realisation of what's actually going on. He did like the way in which the human and animal concept was turned on its head, and was happy to go along with the book’s own internal logic. However there were also some unsatisfactory loose ends. In particular, the whole issue of where she came from and why she had to go through this experience. He felt that he wanted to know more about her but he also though that the relationship with Amlis was handled well. It was also an interesting observation on the sexist nature of men.

Mark T was also frustrated by the lack of background, and had problems with particular detailed elements of the book, including why she had to live alone in the house and the over emphasis on her physical attributes during the meetings with the hitch-hikers.

Richard thought that the book was excellent. He thought it imaginative, coherent and, unlike some of the others didn't feel that there were any gaps. He was happy with the fact that the book did not go into too much detail about where the aliens came from and he felt that the information given was sufficient. The style was distinctive, original, lyrical and brilliant. He finished the book two weeks before the meeting but remembered every detail. He identified with and was able to understand  Isserley and was impressed with the depth of characterisation. He cared about her and understood  why she was embittered. He was amused at the shock that she felt at the idea of eating sheep.  An assured piece of work.

Neil, although he was prepared to accept the concept of the aliens, was less prepared to accept that no one missed the disappearing hitch-hikers. He thought that the aliens, with all of their technology, would have figured out a more efficient way of resolving their nutrition problem. He found Isserley dull as a central character, but found some of the interactions interesting. The concept of us being the animals was not very subtle. Like others he found the background story a bit unsatisfactory, and the character of Amlis a bit of a cliché. He felt that the ending was a cop out so overall, although he wanted to like it, he was left feeling disappointed.

Chris W was not disappointed. He felt that there were so many different ideas and enjoyed the whole concept and the frequent events that occurred. He thought that the underground imagery was powerful but was disappointed that the relationship with Amlis didn't go anywhere. Like Neil he felt that the ending was a cop out. Overall, although the book had its faults, he felt that his mind had been stimulated.

Mark W concluded the reviews by saying that he enjoyed the book, finding the concept original, and the characterisation of Isserley, upon which the book really depended, was convincing. He did not have a problem with the lack of detail of the alien world, and indeed, felt that the bits of information given were sufficient and appropriate, as more focus here would have detracted from the actual focus of the book. He found that the descriptions of Scotland were  evocative and powerful. The horror of some of the underground descriptions was not too explicit, i.e. it left much to the imagination although the some of the images remained in the mind. Yes, there were flaws, but overall he was drawn into the world created by the book. Finally, although very different from the film, some of the gaps and questions in the latter were explained by the book.