Synthesizing

Skin is drastically different than any of of the other stories that we have read so far this term. The only way that I can think to describe it as is a cross between the mystery, sci-fi, and suspense genres. Even though it is so different than any of the stories that we have read, there a few that it is maybe somewhat similar to.

In some ways, Skin is similar to House in the Goblin Wood by John Dickinson Carr. Despite all of their differences, I say that these two are similar because they both make you wonder, "How is this even happening?" In House in the Goblin Wood you wonder the whole time how Vicky disappeared from the cabin. In Skin, you wonder how an entire town keeps disappearing and reappearing again. Both of these stories involve seemingly impossible circumstances, and you are left wondering until the very end how these circumstances are even happening. Skin is also somewhat similar to The Haunted Policeman by Dorothy Sayers. Both of these stories keep you wondering how they characters are seeing what they're seeing. In The Haunted Policeman you have to wonder how an entire house seemingly disappears, and in Skin you have to wonder how an entire town can disappear. Even though this book is different from almost all of the stories we have read, I would have to say that this story is most different from Deborah's Judgment. Honestly, they really have nothing in common.

This novel has a very prominent theme throughout the story. While on the surface, this story is simply about solving who the serial killer is, if you look a little deeper Skin is really about mankind's obsession with beauty. It's about how none of us are any better than anyone else, and how no matter how hard we try no one is really beautiful; we are all ugly in some way. We try to pretend like we are better, or more beautiful, than other people, but underneath the skin we are all ugly, no matter how good we are. The theme of skin is obvious in these quotes (all of which are found at the end of the story, once the characters have put together the "mystery"):

"That we're all born ugly. That we all have evil in our bones. That you can never judge a book by its cover or a person by their skin. And what's born ugly can't make itself beautiful." ... "That you're no better than he is . He, on the other hand, believes a lie, which is that he's better than you." ... "You have to embrace the truth. He is faster than you, but you can be faster. The truth is stronger than his lies." (page 387-388)

They'd poured out their hearts and bared their souls. In a terribly unnerving way it all mirrored the fall of Lucifer, Lucifer being the best at the game, the most beautiful, like ____ (I'm omitting the name so I don't give away the ending). Thing of it was, however demented he was in his obsession to bring them all down with him, he had proven one thing: They were really as ugly as [omitting to save ending]- this Horde whose disease was visible. ... they had proven themselves incapable to make what was ugly, beautiful. ...

All of this because beauty wasn't about the skin, either the skin of their flesh or skin of this world. For that matter, what they could see with their eyes-the desert, the town, the library, Nicole, even Timothy Healy- had turned out to be very different than the way they'd seen it. The mind was easily deceived by seemingly obvious perceptions.

Instead beauty was found beyond the surface. It was there, beyond the skin of this world, that a cure of ugliness could be found, she thought.
(page 391-392)

You see, throughout this entire story our serial killer, Red, tried to force our main characters to kill the ugliest among them. Throughout the entire story, you are given glimpses into Red's mind; glimpses that show you that he really feels like he is beautiful, and that ugliness must be destroyed. Ugliness must be purged from the world, and he was forcing our characters to rid the themselves of the ugliest among them. At the end of the story, they realize that ugliness isn't on the outside; it isn't on the skin. Ugliness is on the inside, and no matter how hard we try to convince our selves otherwise, we are all ugly. As I was reading the part about the truth being stronger than lies, I was reminded of John 8:32: "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." As a Christian author, I feel that Ted Dekker did this intentionally; he somehow managed to put Biblical principles and values into a murder mystery novel.

This theme really hit home for me. It's so easy to get caught up in the skin of this world, the skin of people. No matter how many times I am told to not judge a book by its cover, that's always the first thing I do. The same goes for myself as well. It is so easy to look in the mirror and convince yourself that you are beautiful, or that you are ugly. Just this morning, I literally stood in front on the mirror and thought, "Well, this is as good as it gets today." I try to be positive, but sometimes I just don't feel pretty. The theme in this book is a great reminder. I could be the most beautiful person on Earth, and still be ugly; I could be the ugliest person on Earth, and still be beautiful. The outside shouldn't be what matters; the inside is what makes us beautiful. It isn't the skin that makes us beautiful.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

The videos below are of three songs that I absolutely love. I went back and forth trying to decide whether to include them in this post or not, but in the end I chose to include them because they fit perfectly with the theme of this book. Beauty isn't simply skin deep; it is so much more.