Mysterious Skin
HarperCollins · Paperback · May 10, 2005
"Wrenching . . . powerfully sensuous." — New York Times "As searing and unforgettable as an electric shock." —Kirkus Reviews At the age of eight Brian Lackey is found bleeding under the crawl space of his house, having endured something so traumatic that he cannot remember an entire five–hour period of time.
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- Who it’s for
- A bruising, intimate novel about fractured memory, idealized love, and the search for truth.
- Themes
- Trauma and memory, Developing sexuality, Exploitation and power imbalance
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Start with this bookAbout this book
"Wrenching . . . powerfully sensuous." — New York Times "As searing and unforgettable as an electric shock." —Kirkus Reviews At the age of eight Brian Lackey is found bleeding under the crawl space of his house, having endured something so traumatic that he cannot remember an entire five–hour period of time.
Continue reading
During the following years he slowly recalls details from that night, but these fragments are not enough to explain what happened to him, and he begins to believe that he may have been the victim of an alien encounter. Neil McCormick is fully aware of the events from that summer of 1981. Wise beyond his years, curious about his developing sexuality, Neil found what he perceived to be love and guidance from his baseball coach. Now, ten years later, he is a teenage hustler, unaware of the dangerous path his life is taking. His recklessness is governed by idealized memories of his coach, memories that unexpectedly change when Brian comes to Neil for help and, ultimately, the truth.
Memory’s Fault Lines
A bruising, intimate novel about fractured memory, idealized love, and the search for truth.
Come here for
- Two perspectives shaped by radically different memories
- Unflinching treatment of trauma and sexuality
Expect
- A sensuous, unsettling reading experience
- Teenage recklessness alongside painful revelations
Where it sits
| Coming-of-Age | 79% |
|---|---|
| Psychological Fiction | 63% |
| Gay Fiction | 59% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Gay Fiction
- Literary Fiction
- Amateur Sleuths
- Psychological Fiction
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Psychological Thrillers
- Coming-of-Age
- Urban Fiction
- Crime Fiction
- Authors
- Scott Heim
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- May 10, 2005
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Trauma and memory · Developing sexuality · Exploitation and power imbalance
- Reading lane
- Gay Fiction