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orlagal's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
james1star's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this book and desperately want to check out Andrew again as I believe they’re a potential 5 star author. This was great and I’d totally recommend giving it a read.
Skin is split into two parts (and an epilogue, not really three like the blurb suggests), the first in 1985 where we meet Matty, our mc, just after their (I will use this pronoun throughout) dad Joe has gone missing. They live in Golders Green and Joe was known to frequent the local swimming ponds in Hampstead Heath so Matty visits trying to find answers. It’s here they forge a love for the water and swimming which continues throughout the book - the beauty and freedom but also the danger and power of it. Matty also meets Nicks and they begin a kind of friendship, accompanied by other swimmers and they start to learn more about who/what Joe might’ve been, the world and what the future is set out to have in store as the summer ends and Matty will start secondary school. The relationship with their Italian mother is explored and the way she delves into a breakdown of sorts with lots of tensions at home. I really enjoyed this section for the fact I know many of the places mentioned and the geography so I could see where things were taking place easily in my mind.
The second section is in 1999 with Matty travelling through Ireland looking for new information in their father’s homeland. They go swimming in many lochs documenting them and the love of nature is very much apparent. Soon though a snap decision places them in a dire situation and the way this exploration of ‘wrong place, wrong time’ fallout is done was so great. It’s the quickness and how it all could’ve happened different I found Andrew portrayed amazingly. A little before, the (non direct given I read the audiobook but I think it’s kinda word-for-word) quote from Matty ‘they always want to talk’ made me instantly know something was going to happen. What ensues I won’t mention but it just involves the afterwords of this encounter.
I found the writing to be really nice, not only is it well written but there’s a craft too in the way nature and conservations are told that I loved. The book can be a little confusing at times too but as you go along, things click into place and you’re like ‘ohh I get it now’ which I found very clever. I also really liked how the exploration of Matty’s gender and sexuality are there but it’s in no way the focus. I did feel things could’ve been more cemented for the reader and the way some things fitted into place were a little questionable but on the whole a very decent read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Hate crime
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Grief, and Death of parent