Rating: 
Summary: Put On Your Seatbelts for a Bumpy Ride!
Review: Imagine picking up a book, that on its surface, appears to be a bizarre thriller involving a mysterious woman who picks up strong male hitchhikers with an agenda not made obvious at first. You think "this sounds kind of fun and kinky" and so you start reading, expecting nothing more than a mundane road story with predictable twists and turns. However, in fairly short order, you find yourself turned upside down, without even remembering how you got there. I think I understand how Alice felt after falling down the rabbit hole. Nothing is what it seems. Michael Faber has written a story which is nothing short of mythical. It redefines who we are as human beings (if, in fact we ARE human beings). The story is a blending of simple reality and mind-boggling fantasy. Ultimately, we are unable to determine which is which. As other reviewers have noted, it is not a fast read. But in order to shed our own prejudices and expectations about this story, it needs to be read slowly and deliberately. Isserley, the main character of the story, evokes such an array of emotions from the reader: admiration, irritation, sometimes downright dislike. As different as she is ultimately found to be, she is representative of Everywoman, only from a very unique perspective. I would have liked to have read more about the characters' backgrounds and how they came to be what they were. But that may not have been in Mr. Faber's plan in writing the book. Even so, it is a unique, disturbing and thought-provoking experience. Certainly not for everyone, but for any reader who wants something different. I really enjoyed it, even if I didn't completely understand it all. I understood enough!
Rating:
Summary: Appearances can be deceiving
Review: It is a dangerous thing indeed to make hasty judgements about an individual based solely on their appearance. A man built like a defensive linebacker, shaved skull, and biceps the size of cannons, tattoos and beady eyes, does not necessarily mean this individual is a menace to society, he could be as harmless as a pussy cat. On the other hand, a small young woman with coke bottle glasses, mousy hair, and unusual scars and larger than average breasts, on the surface, would seem quite harmless, then again, she could well be your worst nightmare. Appearances can be deceiving, as they most certainly are in this original debut novel.
As critics from around the world have commented, this novel defies categorization. At a cursory glance, this novel is a macabre tale about a nervous young woman obsessed with picking up male hitchhikers who must adhere to a specific criteria - preferably well built, more muscle than fat, no apparent diseases, and no immediate family connections. In fact, her ideal target is a drifter or vagabond, someone down on his luck, with nothing else to lose. Her stalking ritual is quite precise: spot the intended victim, pass them on the road once to size them up, ensuring they meet her standard, then circle around again. After asking a few essential question about their background and current situation, Isserley makes her decision, and then...
As you read further into the novel, her reasons for stalking this particular type of hitchhiker becomes clear. On the surface, the novel is an original tale that for some readers would be entertaining, while for others not interested in this sort of subject matter, might be disappointed. However, for the more discerning reader, the story really is a metaphor about society, how we all too often judge people on their appearances, our preconceived stereotypes, to suit our own purposes and ends.
Faber's writing is sparse, at times lyrical, though packs a lethal punch. He can describe the banal day to day against the utterly bizarre, creating an otherworldly atmosphere, yet at the same time, makes it totally believable.
This is a remarkable book on many levels, as its themes and images should remain with you for a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: CREEPY...SINISTER...MACABRE...STUNNING...
Review: This is a wonderfully inventive novel that is strangely compelling. It cuts across many genres, as it certainly qualifies as literary fiction, horror, satire, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy. It is extraordinarily riveting in its telling, propelled by a narrative that is all at once creepy, faintly sinister and macabre, as well as, at times, poignant. Beautifully written in clear, spare prose, this stunning novel grips the reader until the last page is turned.
The main protagonist, Isserley, cruises the highways of the Scottish countryside in her specially equipped compact car looking for beefcake. On the prowl for muscular, well-built, healthy men who are hitchhiking, rolling stones with little or no ties to family, friends, and community, she picks them up and gets their life's story before she makes a momentous decision that will forever alter their lives.
These unsuspecting men take note of Isserley for a number of reasons. After all, she is a tiny snippet of a being, strangely erotic, with very large, beautiful and luminous eyes, hidden behind coke bottle thick glasses. She has a small heart-shaped, puffy-cheeked, virtually chinless face, dotted with a tiny nose and lush lips. Her arms are long and thin with knobby elbows and wrists from which large scarred hands flow. Of course, her large breasts are extraordinary and ripe in her always low cut top. It is those perfect protuberances that helps her to ensnare her prey.
Who Isserley is and what Isserley does with her prey is at the heart of this book, which is one that should not be missed by those who enjoy unusual, slightly twisted novels. Though ultimately allegorical, it is a gripping, perfectly wrought tale that conceptually defies categorization, so original and imaginative are its tantalizing plot and characters. As for Isserley, the reader will weep for her, so poignant a portrait does the author paint with his elegant prose. This is, indeed, one of my favorite books, and one that should not be missed by those who love beautifully written fiction. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: Great idea, shame about the book
Review: It's a promising premise: a strong female protagonist on a mission with a dark secret is on the lookout for hunky Scottish men. Nice. Unfortunately Faber's plot build-up is obvious, if not trite. The clunky construction betrays the author thinking aloud to himself: "and this is where I put in the clue about her background"; "if I make her look funnily at him here then readers should catch on to what I've been getting at about X"; etc. This book is about a single idea, which is so under-developed that if your best friend had told it to you over a drink, you would have laughed and sworn that it'd never get published. This is not a triumph - it's just a leaking plot that Faber attempts to cover up with gruesome imagery and heavy-handed suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Lost Credibility
Review: It started off well. The main character is Isserley, who picks up male hitchhikers in the Scottish Highlands. I was interested, even though I don't know what icpathua is. But come page 135, I left the book. It lost its credibility there. If you've read it, then you'll know why. (DNF)
Rating:
Summary: Better than Animal Farm
Review: Many critics have compared Under the Skin to Orwell's classic Animal Farm. Where Orwell's was a obvious satire intended to invoke seriuos thought about humanity or the lack of, Under the Skin manages to scare and tantalize where Animal Farm could not. Faber's book is unlike anything I have ever read. It flows so smoothly that it's a shame it wasn't longer. The writing is excellent and the character development is amazing for how little we meet the other characters.Quite a few people were annoyed that it takes a while for the plot to be revealed to you, but I think that is the genius of it. Had Faber started right out with the meat of the plot, the book would have been laughable, not poignant. If you can hold on for the first twenty pages, which can be confusing, the rest of the book is definetly worth it.
Rating:
Summary: We're all the same under the skin
Review: Isserley travels a country road through the Scottish highlands daily, looking for a certain type of hitchhiker - big, fit, healthy, and male. Isserly herself is a small woman of indeterminate origin, slightly strange-looking but also strangely attractive. Of each man she picks up, she wonders: will he be missed? That is all you need to know - all you should know - of the story. It is full of surprises, from the first sharp shock about twenty pages in, until literally the very last page. Faber skillfully places hints - an unfamiliar word here, an incongruous physical description there - without the reader even being aware that it is happening until later, when more is revealed. The gradual build of information grips the reader like nothing else. Suffice it to say the story is about a woman with a job to do, and what happens when her faith in her profession is shaken. It is also about humanity's place in the scheme of things. Leave your expectations at the door..or enjoy watching them crumble.
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