Thin Skin

by Emma Forrest

____________'In Ruby, Forrest has created a Holden Caufield for our shallow, celebrity-obsessed, self-absorbed times ... worthy of Bret Easton Ellis or Jay McInerney. If you ever thought about trying to become a star, let Thin Skin be a warning to you' - Jon Ronson____________'My talents I knew what I wanted. I knew what I didn't want. I knew at a young age I have the added advantage of scrubbing up nicely when I feel like it, so I look like I have range, when really I just have good skin.'At fifteen Ruby left home, got herself an agent and became a film star. Now twenty, she lives alone, in a world of hotels and fast food. Destructive and charming, cutting is Ruby's hobby. Her hair, her arms and occasional tattoos - her newest accessory is a bloodline necklace. A seductive blend of heroine and whore, she has left the man who loves her, been fired by her agent, and is starring in a film opposite the delectable Aslan. It is quite possibly her last chance. Striking, funny and razor sharp, Thin Skin is a novel in which we see that sometimes you have to look over the edge in order to see your way back.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Mental Health

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2002

About the author

Emma Forrest is a British-American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Reviews

[Kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I have grown up with depression, or because I know what it's like to sometimes feel exactly the way Ruby does, but I read this book several years ago and it spoke to me in ways that no other book ever has. It has been in my top five for years now, and I re-read it every once in a while and am always unbelievably impressed with how relatable and interesting Emma Forrest's writing is. I have read all of her books, but this is my favorite. I encourage anyone thinking about reading this book to have an open mind, and especially if you struggle with depression, this is an awesome story.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devastating and hilarious and so many biting one liners I underlined so much in this book

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I preferred her recent memoir "Your Voice in My Head," this was an interesting read. Parts were difficult to relate to, and the character of Ruby is far less sympathetic than Forrest herself. The ending was also somewhat unclear and unsatisfying, but I do enjoy her sort of manic, whirling style of writing about psychologically damaged people careening around like pinballs in a machine and the mad, passionate infatuation they can invoke in others before their self-destructive tendencies turn on them.

[Brooke Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quite eccentric book. To enjoy it, you had to be familiar with Emma Forrest and her writing style, like myself. I, who have read many books about suicide, depression, and eating disorders, felt that this was by far the best in that topic, perhaps because Miss Emma struggled with bulimia herself. You have to be willing to read this book for awhile and really try to understand and hear Ruby's voice. I loved this novel and feel that you must be open minded when reading it. It was quite spectacular!

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have a thing for buying books that have vibrant colorful covers. I always will. I wanted to hug Ruby and tell her, dude you are so messed up right now. And then hug her again. So I re-read this a bunch of times.
The writing wasn't too fantastical and it wasn't about being drawn in with the authors words, but I got heavily attached to Ruby's antics.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

A girl I hung round with for about 6 months at university bought me this as a present. I can only assume that this girl hated me if she thought I would enjoy this self-indulgent piece of crap masquerading as literature.

[Bella Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

so. so. wonderfully. written.

i have so much to say about this short book that I feel like I cannot say anything at all here because it wont all fit grrrr.

ruby would love mirrorball by taylor swift.

This is for sure one of my all time favourite books

[Night Snitch · Rating 1 out of 5]

definitely want to slap the lead character.

[Sarah Britt · Rating 1 out of 5]

As harsh as it may sound, I have never felt such an intense dislike for a character as I feel for Ruby. I find absolutely nothing about her to be redeemable. She is basically the very definition of the infamous "Manic-pixie-dream-girl" and if feel like the author is trying wayyy too hard to make her into this weird, fucked up, attention seeking young girl, to the point that she becomes a terrible cliche. The only women I can see possibly finding Ruby relatable are the ones that also try way too hard to come off as weird and fucked up because they think it'll get them the attention they so desperately seek. The ones that insist they're just not like other girls. It all reeks of teenage girl angst which has become a cliche in and of itself.

At first, I thought maybe I had missed something important so I read it again. And again. And again. Only to discover each time that my strong dislike for her was just as pronounced as it was all the previous times I read it. If anything, I disliked her character even MORE. I can't honestly see myself recommending this book to anyone. I would actually be too embarrassed to recommend it to anyone. I would despise anyone connecting me with this book in their mind if I was the one to recommend it. I couldn't bear it. So it's safe to say it would never happen.

[Camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had no plot but im guessing that why kinda the whole point there was no sense of character development but than again that wasn’t the goal. i could say i kinda related to ruby in some ways so i wouldn’t say i dislike this book i would read again a great comfort!

[meera · Rating 4 out of 5]

i bought this book in a used bookstore in los angeles with a friend i don’t talk to anymore apparently the author of this dated colin farrell and even almost had a baby with him? so her talking about weird relationships with good sex checks out

[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something better

A bit chaotic in the writing (maybe that was the purpose). Was hoping for something better or at least something I could clearly visualize.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

On certain levels I get it. On others I do not.

[Lily Kosner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not at all shocking, just pointless and tedious.

[Cordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this read. I found the main character was being difficult and quirky just because, and I found her quite annoying.

[Corinne]

stopping at p. 129, idk if i’ll go back to this or not but rubys pretty insufferable & i have no clue what’s going on

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual book to recommend, because it is not the story or characters that kept me intrigued, but the writing style of the young Emma Forrest. Her style is quirky, intriguing, and out of nowhere. She could describe baking a cake, and you'd be interested. The observations made through her characters are written in a style that stays in your head, even if the characters do not.
Although I recommend this book, the plot is not much to recommend. The story centers around Ruby, a Christina Ricci-esque actress who is described as narcisscistic, bulimic, and selfish, and has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Although we get a peek into her past, the death of her mother, and her emancipation from her father, it is difficult to feel any real connection to her as a character. There is no real cohesiveness to her relationships with any of the other thinly-drawn characters in the book, including the painter she has pined for since the age of twelve. Ruby has no conscience, and I found it impossible to feel connected to her or her story.

Still, Emma Forrest is very young, and has a tremendous amount of potential. I would like to read other things she has written, since she simply writes in a style that reels you in, regardless of the vapidness of the plot or characters.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thin Skin by Emma Forrest is the first book I picked up after not reading for many years, and I'm so glad I started with this because it reignited my love of books! I love how it is written, from the way the prose flows through Ruby's fragmented memories to the way it shifts between different narrators. The chaotic style perfectly captures what it's like to have a chaotic mind. I've struggled with similar mental health issues, so I could sympathize with Ruby, even if I didn't always relate to her self-indulgent lifestyle or like her at times, but even then, I could understand what it's like to be unlikable because a monster has taken up residence in your mind. As soon as I was finished with it, I wanted to read it all over again.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review Written JUNE 8, 2014)
Changed the rating from 2010 - what was once an lean 3 Stars is now a swole 5. The footpath to fairyland hasn't changed, but the witch's shack wasn't the destination after all. There are more demons in our forest, not telegraphed in fucked-up-girl literature. In the past week I've called all the females I see "woman" and all the men "girl". Men are the bearers of the thin skin. We women have overcome the threat from wolves in our beds. We have cut down brambles and licked our own wounds. We have split the earth to make the third path. We deserve our names. In victory, you may call us women.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruby is an actress who is totally burnt-out and completely dysfunctional. We see her drive people away, cut at her skin and attempt suicide. While on psych watch, she dreams of Live, her childhood crush and finally gains closure on her total obsession with him - or moreso, the idea of him.

Like "Brave New Girl", this was a 2001 MTV book publication - and this shows. The story is easy enough to follow, but never gets past whiny or the typical Gen Y pity party. The other book had a message and a strong title character. This one, just had pathetic Ruby who should not be anyone's role model.

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have absolutely hated Thin Skin if I hadn't read Emma Forrest's memoir, Your Voice in my Head, first. It helped put the ugliness and self-destructiveness of the protagonist of this book into perspective, as Ruby is a bit of an extension of Emma herself. As she goes through a string of unhealthy relationships and goes from a "semi-movie star" to a "pseudo-movie star", Ruby's eccentricities morph further and further into bulimia, drug abuse, and self-mutilation. This could definitely only be written by someone who experienced the same illness. In that, this book is definitely unique and I do enjoy Emma's writing style, but it is definitely not for everyone.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the first book I ever read by Emma Forrest, and the first time I read it was about 3 years ago, and it has been my favorite book ever since. I read it over and over. I love it because of how self-indulgent it is. That's Ruby. She is self-centered and self-hating. she is eccentric and moody. She was not made to be likable, because in so many ways she isn't. She is flawed beyond the point of repair. Broken. and that's why I love her. She is real. I also love Emma's style of writing. the free-flow of thought. I think it takes a creative and open minded person to read this book and get it, and enjoy it. which I thoroughly did. Long live Ruby.

[Elizabeth Nordquest · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were times when the writing was a little cliche or tried to hard to be poetic, but it was a quick and fairly interesting read. The main character is messed up and there were times I wanted someone to punch her... But ultimately things "worked out". Not great, but it would probably make a decent movie.

[Julia Putnam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book. It didn't make sense to me and I don't understand why it was written. There doesn't seem to be a point and I have no idea what, if anything, the author was trying to express. It didn't seem like just telling a story. I wish that the main character had something to make me like her but I just didn't, so I didn't care about her or her story or what happened to her.

[Vandrion]

I read and loved Cherries In The Snow. However, I also read and hated Namedropper... so, I want to read this one because I loved the Cherries so much. I'm hoping it will be good!

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shouldn't read what others write about Emma Forrest. They clearly don't see the "Forrest" for the trees. She's an optimist. I read this novel after her memoir so could see where some of the material came from.

[Samiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't as much about cutting or eating disorders as I thought. But I like Emma Forrest's writing style and all the four letter words were pretty funny. I mean usually people don't write things like fuck, dick, tits, shit all the time...

[Jennifer Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite book ever!

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn't really care for it but definitely a quick read

[Hasenfuss. · Rating 3 out of 5]

gewöhnlich melancholisch, gleichbleibend. ab und zu schön paraphrasiert.