Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - The Skin and Its Girl

Absolutely magnificent writing, gorgeously descriptive and indulgently emotive. The audio narrator was absolutely stellar as well!

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel— Sarah Cypher is a masterful writer and captivating storyteller. This book has some of the most brilliant character work I’ve ever experienced. Reminded me a bit of one of my other favourites, Butter Honey Pig Bread with the complex familial relationships and non-linear story / timeline!

I loved how my perception & understanding of the title changed as the narrative developed. A good title is like the icing on the cake when it’s reframed after finishing!

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cass_lit's review against another edition

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4.0

This was so beautifully written, albeit sometimes a little confusing because of the writing choices. The story is told in second person, from Betty’s point of view as she addresses her great aunt whose diary entries Betty’s currently going through. However, we’re mostly focused on Betty’s life throughout rather than the great aunt’s. And while Betty is interesting — her skin is blue — I ultimately became much more interested in the aunt’s backstory and wanted more there. (Maybe that’s the point, because I’m sure Betty wanted more as well.) It took me a bit to get everyone in the family straight because Betty switches between their familial relationship to her (e.g., mother) and their names (Tashi), but I grew so invested in their dynamics and their generational trauma in being forced to leave Palestine and their wellbeing.

Although the author isn’t Palestinian herself, it seemed to me to be very well researched.

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billiekate's review against another edition

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mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Really beautiful story of a young woman revisiting her childhood memories through her great aunt's journals and stories. It's GAY, Palestinian (the author is Lebanese but did her research), and very much based in Arab traditions of magical storytelling/folktales. It's definitely one of those stories you keep having to reference the family tree to keep track of family members.

Some cultural takeaways: I learned a lot of common Arabic words and saw a lot of dishes that exist in both Palestinian and Lebanese culture. This is also a story of a Palestinian Christian family, which I also appreciated as Arab Christians aren't given much spotlight in Western media and stories.

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femmeprints's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Really beautifully written. Again these queer Palestinian stories are really magical and this one really did have that magical touch. It was both poetic and also grounded in a way. There was a touch of magical realism and a really good balance of touching on queer identity without romance or one romantic relationship being at the center of it. There really was a lot of hurt and pain in the writing which kept me engaged from front to back

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imds's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

So the first time I tried to read this, I set it down because I was not in the headspace for such an intricately deep character-driven narrative. My brain was not computing, so I decided to come back to it one day lol. That day has come! And I'm really glad I revisited this, and this time via audiobook! That was a much better experience for me to fully get into the voice and narrative!

This book centers around Elspeth aka Betty, who was born, died, and came back to life (as a baby) with cobalt blue skin (which is reminiscent of the blue soap her family used to make when they lived in Palestine). She visits her great-aunt Nuha's grave, reads journals, revisits familial lore that mostly was passed down to her orally, and contemplates a big life decision, regarding moving out of the U.S. The novel is told in second-person POV, which I adore and think is done so well here.

Though some parts were absolutely slower and felt as if they dragged on a bit more than others (I am just so predictable; the middle of the book always seems to be a slog for me?! It's me, I'm the problem, it's me), I still felt grateful and humbled to hear about Betty and her relationships to notable women in her family (mom, grandma, great aunt), and how they navigated challenges, such as terminal illness, exile, queerness, mental health, anti-Arab sentiments in the U.S., and more.

Check content warnings below & take care while reading.

Free Palestine <3

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annacbarr's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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