Wasserman, Robin: Skinned
Skinned (2008)
Written by: Robin Wasserman
Genre: YA/Science Fiction
Pages: 361 (Trade Paperback)
So here's another tezmilleroz recommendation, but I held off because I didn't really care for the cover. You'll also notice that it wasn't on the poll for the January Book Club selection because I thought the summaries for Skinned and The Adoration of Jenna Fox sounded too similar. But the good part is, now that I've read Skinned, I'll get to compare it to The Adoration of Jenna Fox when I read it for the book club. See, I never said I wasn't totally geeky. :)
The premise: snatched for BN.com, which is also the backcover blurb: Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular - until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life.
Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime - for which they must pay the ultimate price.
Review style: spoilers, because this isn't the kind of heavily plot-driven book the premise makes it out to be. It's actually very, very character-driven, and it's hard NOT to spoil such books. So if you want to avoid said spoilers, skip to the "My Rating" section at the bottom of the review, and you'll be good to go!
A lot of things appealed to me about this book. For starters, it resonates with a project I started working on this year that I'm still struggling with, so it's good to see what other authors are doing with similar ideas. Also, ever since Battlestar Galactica premiered its new series back in 2005, I've been fascinated with the downloading concept of soul into body. So my reading this book was really a no-brainer.
I think Wasserman was also fascinated with the concept. For starters, anyone who's ever watched Battlestar Galactica is going to see similar themes at work, and that's a good thing. But the giveaway is a line Lia makes when recounting rumors about her sexuality, one of which is that she'll do a toaster. A TOASTER!!! No, you wouldn't get it if you don't watch BSG, but if you do, could the nod BE any more obvious? Tickle me delighted!
As I said earlier, Skinned is a very character-driven book. Almost surprisingly so. We basically get 360 pages of Lia struggling to come to terms with who she was and who she is and most importantly, WHAT she is. Her relationships with her family and friends and even her adversaries (enemies is too strong a word, and a wrong one that that), truly define her and guide her actions through-out the book. And to be honest, it's a pretty powerful piece of work. For starters, Wasserman handles the religious protest of Lia's creation in such a way that I don't feel it's a caricature, and that's tough to pull off. Even better is the sucker-punch at the end, when Lia discovers her father praying to God and begging for forgiveness for creating her.
And I really like the fact that Lia has no easy answers. Forgetting what she is and living her normal life isn't possible, as it's been appropriated by her sister for starling yet believable reasons, and everyone in the school knows what she is and thinks she's a freak besides. Then there's Auden, who likes who and what she is, but represents a kind of transition that gets him seriously hurt because despite accepting Lia for who and what she is, he keeps thinking in human terms.
On the flip side, there's Jude and his gang of mechs. At first, I was a little frustrated with Lia for immediately dismissing them, but once I understood them, I realized that this wasn't the obvious choice either and Lia was right to have doubts. Sure, they represent something she WANTS (the ability to actually FEEL again), but being cautious is a very good thing, so it'll be fascinating to see where this gang of mechs leads her, and what, if anything, she can do to make a society for mechs that isn't one extreme or the other.
Plot-wise, there are some markers. I mean we have lots of conflict, but no discernible arc of story. The turning point was Lia's confrontation with her sister and the revelation that her father was ashamed, which led her to an action that led to Auden's, well, not downfall nor demise, but rather . . . well, it led Auden to the state he's in now. I definitely feel for the kid, and not because I want him and Lia to hook up romantically (though how WOULD that work if he were somehow able to become a mech and she could FEEL with him?). He definitely gets the short end of the stick, and I want to see where that story goes. I also want to see what becomes of the Faithers, because that's no small thing to ignore. I suspect they'll become a driving force in the series in some shape or form.
But I really did love the last line of the book. A little ambiguous in terms whether Lia's talking about being dead or being Lia, but I think it's the latter, and that in and of itself is far more profound. The book ended with a decision, and I look forward to seeing where that decision takes her.
My Rating
Must Have: but with one warning: this is not a plot-driven or action-driven book. If you like character-centric books, particularly those with more of an existential theme, and you love the themes behind the updated Battlestar Galactica (focusing on the cylons), then you're going to have fun with this. It's a good book, and even when I didn't agree with our heroine, never once did I not at least sympathize and understand where she was coming from. Wasserman really gets into the heart of the matter and makes you really THINK about how you'd feel if you were in Lia's shoes. The science fictional elements and social reaction to those elements are also very strong, which surprised me, though I don't know why: for whatever, unfair reason, I expect the science in YA SF to be light and fluffy and non-existent, not explained in detail (which isn't to say the science used in Skinned is accurate or not, but it makes you wonder about how such an process could take place in the future). At any rate, it's a pretty strong start of a series, and I'll definitely be picking up the next installment, Crashed, once it's released in trade paperback. :)
Cover Commentary: I still don't care for it. I don't like having someone stare directly at me from the cover, but given what Lia is and what she's able (and unable) to do, the cover's quite perfect. It SHOULD make you a little uncomfortable, you know? My copy also has spot-varnished computer chip-esque wiring on the cover, which is quite appropriate. A successful cover, even if I don't care for it.
Next up: Liar by Justine Larbalestier