--- product_id: 14955511 title: "Mysterious Skin" brand: "scott heim" price: "35 kr" currency: NOK in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.no/products/14955511-mysterious-skin store_origin: NO region: Norway --- # 4.6/5 rating from 789 reviews Used book in good condition Top #67 LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction Mysterious Skin **Brand:** scott heim **Price:** 35 kr **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Summary > 📖 Unlock the haunting truth that everyone’s talking about — don’t miss out on this cult classic! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mysterious Skin by scott heim - **How much does it cost?** 35 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.no](https://www.desertcart.no/products/14955511-mysterious-skin) ## Best For - scott heim enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted scott heim brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Collector’s Edition Appeal:** Own a well-preserved used copy of a cult classic that sparks conversation and introspection. - • **Cultural and Social Relevance:** Engage with a novel that challenges norms and offers rare representation of queer adolescence in rural America. - • **Deep Psychological Exploration:** Experience a raw, honest portrayal of trauma, memory, and survival that lingers long after reading. - • **Timeless Provocative Narrative:** Dive into a story that remains as urgent and relevant 30+ years later. - • **Critically Acclaimed Bestseller:** Join thousands who rated it 4.6 stars and propelled it to top ranks in LGBTQ+ and Coming-of-Age fiction. ## Overview Mysterious Skin is a critically acclaimed coming-of-age novel by Scott Heim, exploring trauma, memory, and identity through the lives of two teenage boys. This used copy is in good condition and ranks highly in LGBTQ+ literary fiction, boasting a 4.6-star rating from nearly 800 readers. Its powerful storytelling and cultural significance make it a must-read for those seeking profound, thought-provoking literature. ## Description “Wrenching . . . powerfully sensuous.”— New York Times "As searing and unforgettable as an electric shock."— Kirkus Reviews As relevant and urgent as when it was first published more than three decades ago, Scott Heim’s propulsive novel about abuse and its aftereffects in the lives of two teenage boys is an honest and searing exploration of memory, survival, friendship, and the power of truth. This new edition features a new afterword by the author. At the age of eight, Brian Lackey is found bleeding under the crawl space of his house, having endured something so traumatic that he has blacked out an entire five-hour period. During the following years he slowly recalls details from that night, fragments that hint at yet cannot explain what happened to him, leaving him 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 he’s on. 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. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Dimensions | 5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches | | Edition | Reissue | | Isbn 10 | 0060841699 | | Isbn 13 | 978-0060841690 | | Item Weight | 8 ounces | | Language | English | | Print Length | 304 pages | | Publication Date | May 10, 2005 | | Publisher | Harper Perennial | ## Images ![Mysterious Skin - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61oRZfGw9NL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A complicated coming-of-age novel that's far more than a coming-of-age novel *by on Reviewed in the United States September 9, 2019* I know many people who love Mysterious Skin but admit that it's difficult to get through. They say things like "I'm glad I read it, but I don't need to read it again."I've felt the same way about other novels, including those by Dennis Cooper, which are often compared to Mysterious Skin. The difference is, Dennis Cooper's novels can come from a place of cruelty--cruelty that resides in a story's tone, setting, or central character. Mysterious Skin, on the other hand, is dispassionate, sometimes even kind. Brian, Neil, Eric, the mothers: they're good people at heart, not cruel in the least.In other words: I loved this book, and in time, I'll be happy to re-read it.First and foremost, I loved Heim's storytelling. The story was perfectly paced, and he did a beautiful job of describing the world that the characters inhabit, of positioning it in time and space: rural America, the 1980s and 1990s, the complicated era of adolescence.I also loved the characters, especially Neil. Like Neil, I grew up a gay kid in a small American town in the late twentieth century. I wasn't nearly as brazen among my peers as Neil was, but I matured early and had sexual experiences with people my age and older. I know now that I wasn't alone in that, but it's rare to see that kind of sexual agency depicted in novels.Last but not least, I loved the scenes that Heim created--scenes full of tension, often involving kids doing things they shouldn't in places they shouldn't. In the hands of another writer, the kids would've always gotten caught and punished to reinforce some kind of moral code. In Heim's case, the rate seemed closer to 50/50. Yes, sometimes the characters were caught red-handed, and consequences followed (or not). But other times, no one discovered them, there was no punishment, tension just built and slowly dissipated, an ambiguous, unusual moment in otherwise usual lives.P.S. I should mention that Scott Heim is a friend. Not a close friend, but we've met, we move in similar circles, and we stay in touch. I can say in all honesty that this had no effect on my experience of the book or my review. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Will linger in your thoughts long after the last page *by on Reviewed in the United States May 2, 2024* I watched the movie because I hadn't read the book, and then I read the book because I had watched the movie. Much like the 2004 movie adaption, the book will leave you thinking about it for days afterwards. It lingers in your mind, clings to your brain wrinkles.Mysterious Skin is a haunting story about two boys whose traumatic childhoods drastically affect their lives. They deal with this trauma in two very different ways, but both carry the scars of what they went through. It's a hard novel, because it deals with very heavy subject matter, and at times is pretty graphic. Yet, somehow, it manages to never be overly pessimistic, or voyeuristic even in its more graphic scenes.It's highly disturbing at parts, and rather upsetting, but well worth a read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Moving novel (with a few first novel problems) but it really holds up, MAJOR GAY FICTION *by on Reviewed in the United States October 7, 2019* In October, the discussion group at the LGBT Center in NYC had a terrific group of very interested and thoughtful readers to discuss this novel. Wow, has this book held up. Originally published in 1996 and recently re-published, we all found it a powerful and moving first novel, with a few minor problems. --SPOILERS FOLLOW--Without a doubt, Neil is the best-drawn character (narrating 5 chapters, including the final resolving chapter). A rough-around-the-edges hustler, he's a smooth operator who is able to seduce and reject almost everyone, unable to make a connection. As with so many victims of childhood abuse, he has few boundaries (like his mom?) so he drinks to much, uses drugs, and has inappropriate sex.Compared to Neil, Brian is boring. He's the major voice of the novel (narrating 7 chapters, including the opening chapter to set the tone), but is stunted emotionally and sexually (probably asexual, in today's parlance). His bully-father leaves the family, which doesn't help. His mother is perhaps too protective and seems to know that something is wrong but doesn't know how to respond. (She keeps practicing with her prison guard-issued handgun, but it's a red herring in the novel.)A few minor characters round out the novel. Wendy (1 chapter) is Neill's best friend but like most of the women in the novel, is a poorly drawn and rather weak character. Brian's sister Deborah (2 chapters) is especially mis-used in the novel never having much motivation to do anything. Avalyn (not narrating a chapter), also a predator in many ways, clearly has psychological problems and was probably abused herself (perhaps by her creepy, staring father, with whom she's inordinately close?).Eric (3 chapters) is the goth queer from California who wound up in Kansas after his parents' death. He's universally loved and serves as a stabilizing influence to bring Neil and Brian together to uncover what really happened. He's a bit of a stereotype but a necessary plot point. Too bad he's not more interesting. There's also a character, Chris, who's mentioned but disappears when Eric appears.And then there's Coach, who disappears. He doesn't narrate a chapter and remains a disturbing (no, really, DISTURBING) mystery.Some of the readers thought that the voices weren't different enough between the different narrators/story-tellers. There are differences but they're subtle.Nothing really happens in the novel. Everything happened 10 years ago and it's all a mystery that's slowly uncovered. Some that thought Brian's unreliable narrator allows the novel to spend too much time on the UFO-alien abduction theme and not enough on the current situation and psychology of the main characters. The fact that Neil is gay and Brian is straight results in the major disparity in the way the two characters respond to their shared childhood abuse, but it would be good to explore and explain how this affects the big jigsaw puzzle.The final chapters were closely read and discussed. The book derives much of it's power from these chapters. Neil and Brian break into Coach's house where their childhood abuse originally took place. They're stuck there and can't escape. Neil even uses a toy truck (rather than a brick) to break into the house and literally drags Brian into the house with him in a bizarre re-creation of the original horrible events. The final images show the real world intruding into their frozen world.Heim is a great writer with wonderful use of language. His use of verbs is especially vivid. (I enjoyed the pink polo shirt described as "pastel pterodactyl" before the story turns especially violent.)Which brings us to the violence that motivates so much of the novel. Several readers pointed out that "Mysterious Skin" is a period piece, written in 1995 and ending in 1991. Some of the descriptions seem to be presented for their shock value; this is the time of Dennis Cooper's emergence, Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 "American Psycho," and Genet was on everyone's reading list. The novel presents a lot of extreme behavior for the sake of extreme behavior. But maybe it's not so extreme with the black shadow of AIDS covering much of the novel. It's hard to describe how dark and hopeless this period was.Don't let these final comments discourage you from reading it: it's not just a good period piece. It's a great piece of gay fiction with an equally good movie directed by Gregg Araki. ## Frequently Bought Together - Mysterious Skin - Beautiful Boy (tie-In): A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction - The Perks of Being a Wallflower --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.no/products/14955511-mysterious-skin](https://www.desertcart.no/products/14955511-mysterious-skin) --- *Product available on Desertcart Norway* *Store origin: NO* *Last updated: 2026-09-18*