Book info

• Title Under the Skin
• Author Michel Faber
• Year 2000
• Genre Horror

Isserley spends most of her time driving. But why is she so interested in picking up hitchhikers? And why are they always male, well-built and alone? An utterly unpredictable and macabre mystery, Under the Skin is a genre-defying masterpiece.

Thoughts

Interesting one this, a story about aliens farming humans for meat, and following the trails of one particular alien who has to trawl up and down the roads of Scotland in search of hitchhikers who won’t be noticed if they disappear.

Not exactly an easy subject matter, and the details of the actual farming process were not easy to read. But there were some important thoughts raised about farming and what we eat, animal rights and all that business.

I did think it was a bit confusing that the aliens called themselves human beings, because where would they get that from? Unless they are us in a galaxy far, far away. And it only served to make me read some sentences twice just to be sure who was talking about what. But otherwise, an interesting, if uncomfortable, read.

Rating: 3 / 5