Description:
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.
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, a terrorist of sorts, 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.
Brief description:
Scott Heim is the author of the novels In Awe, Mysterious Skin, and We Disappear. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
Review Quotes:
"As searing and unforgettable as an electric shock." - Kirkus Reviews
"Heim is breathtakingly unafraid to take chances, and the fact that he doesn't self-destruct in the process is one of the reasons he can rightly be called a promising author." - San Francisco Chronicle
"Provocative and daringly imagined. . . an especially noteworthy debut." - Lambda Book Report
"Wrenching . . . powerfully sensuous." - New York Times
"Mysterious Skin remains one of the few works in literature or film to explore this subject without shame, sensationalism, or stereotype. It feels more relevant and urgent today than ever.... It doesn't sensationalize trauma; it humanizes survivors." - Psychology Today