Reader Score
82%
82% of readers
recommend 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.
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.
The author of two novels and a volume of poetry, Scott Heim has written for numerous publications, including The Advocate, Village Voice, and Nerve.com. He lives in Boston.
Lexicartographies (2023): https://t.co/jZ56SrqouG Buttered Hair (2022): https://t.co/WqRBcbY03I Bliss (2022): https://t.co/tY6JgyaA2Q Ante-Animots (2019): https://t.co/L5udwBIyLJ
Mysterious Skin (2004) dir. Gregg Araki, based on the novel (1995) by Scott Heim "I thought of all the grief and sadness and fucked up suffering in the world... I wished with all my heart that we could just leave... Rise like two angels in the night and magically...disappear." https://t.co/U83fxuV8G3
expat in Sao Paulo. I'm more fun on Letterboxd (see link) and on Instagram as gregpghsaopaulo He/him
If you’re not following @Scott_Heim, you should be (one of my favorite accounts). If you’re not watching MYSTERIOUS SKIN - new on @criterionchannl yesterday (directed by Gregg Araki, based on the incredible book by Scott Heim), you need to. It’s really something.
"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