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Secret Under My Skin #1
The Secret Under My Skin
In the year 2368, humankind must struggle to survive under dire environmental conditions and strict government control. In this startling world, one brave young woman begins to unravel a web of lies about life on Earth that will empower her to discover, at last, who she really is. McNaughton vividly imagines an all-too-believable future and celebrates the impact that one person can make on the world.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2001
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2616 people want to read
About the author
Janet McNaughton
22 books50 followersJanet McNaughton is the multi-award-winning author of many books, including The Secret Under My Skin, An Earthly Knight and her most recent novel, Dragon Seer, which was shortlisted for the prestigious TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, as well as both the CLA Young Adult Book Award and the Book of the Year for Children Award. McNaughton lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
October 26, 2009
Blay Raytee was a street child scraping a living together on the streets of St Pearl with Hilary, her protector, until Hilary is taken by the Death Squad and Blay is rounded up by the Commission and sent to a workcamp in Kildevil. Like all the children in workcamps, she's given the name of the month she was taken: September, but in her heart she holds onto the only name she can remember, Blay Raytee. She doesn't know how old she is or where she came from, but when she's not scavenging the local landfill for recyclable objects with the other children, wearing heavy UV suits and visors, she's reading all the lastbooks and discovering ancient poets like Yeats.
There's a new bio-indicator in training, a girl called Marrella, living with the Master of the Way up the hill, who needs help with her lessons. The children who read the books at the workcamp are gathered and Marrella picks small, scrawny Blay. Life with the Master, William, and his wife Erica is the happiest time Blay's ever known, despite the mean, snobby Marrella who rejects Blay's offers of friendship. She also refuses to learn what she must to be bio-indicator, a sacrificial lamb of sorts dating from the time when the air was toxic and the water poisonous - now bio-indicators are more like religious symbols who, away from the control of the Commission, are helping to resurrect science. The planet, devastated by global warming and all that it entailed, has slowly recovered but the Commission has convinced people it's still dangerous to be out during daylight hours.
Blay learns what Marrella refuses to learn and finds she has intuition for the tests Marrella must take. Not wanting to be sent back to the workcamp, Blay helps Marrella pass the tests. She becomes part of the resistance efforts after gaining Erica's trust, and the crazy man up the hill, Lem Howell, is able to help her find out who she is and where she came from - all because of a secret under her skin.
This book is set in the 24th century in Newfoundland - a much more hospitable place in this time than it is now. The book appealed to me because I love post-apocalyptic fiction and I love books with an environmental bend, especially when the two are combined, as they often are. As McNaughton says in her note:
That's an admirable objective and a sentiment I can appreciate. Yet she doesn't sermonise, never going so far as to alienate her readers. Like all good stories, it is about the people most of all, and their relationships to each other - between the lines is the unspoken point that it's all symbiosis, that our relationships with each other should be no different from the one that we have with the planet that sustains us.
I really liked Blay. She starts off shy, nervous and awkward, and gradually grows into a bright young woman with courage and conviction. It happens smoothly and naturally, so that you feel she is real. While some of the details of the history and the political situation aren't terribly clear, making it sometimes confusing or unjustified, Blay remains an endearing protagonist whose story is continued in The Raintree Rebellion. The other character who really comes alive is the landscape. This doesn't quite fit but I marked one quote that I liked, mostly because it captures a feeling I've known:
There are big ideas in this book too, and some gently-handled information about plants, animals and geology, slipped in carefully so as not to frighten the average teenager. It also deals with repression, oppressive government structures, freedom and other political ideologies. I would have loved this book had I read it at, say, 14. I enjoyed it at 29, but I'm much harder to please now. That said, it was a satisfying read and if you liked Obernewtyn or Scatterlings or other environmental post-apocalyptic YA novels, you'll enjoy this one as well.
There's a new bio-indicator in training, a girl called Marrella, living with the Master of the Way up the hill, who needs help with her lessons. The children who read the books at the workcamp are gathered and Marrella picks small, scrawny Blay. Life with the Master, William, and his wife Erica is the happiest time Blay's ever known, despite the mean, snobby Marrella who rejects Blay's offers of friendship. She also refuses to learn what she must to be bio-indicator, a sacrificial lamb of sorts dating from the time when the air was toxic and the water poisonous - now bio-indicators are more like religious symbols who, away from the control of the Commission, are helping to resurrect science. The planet, devastated by global warming and all that it entailed, has slowly recovered but the Commission has convinced people it's still dangerous to be out during daylight hours.
Blay learns what Marrella refuses to learn and finds she has intuition for the tests Marrella must take. Not wanting to be sent back to the workcamp, Blay helps Marrella pass the tests. She becomes part of the resistance efforts after gaining Erica's trust, and the crazy man up the hill, Lem Howell, is able to help her find out who she is and where she came from - all because of a secret under her skin.
This book is set in the 24th century in Newfoundland - a much more hospitable place in this time than it is now. The book appealed to me because I love post-apocalyptic fiction and I love books with an environmental bend, especially when the two are combined, as they often are. As McNaughton says in her note:
I wrote this book to help young readers begin to think about the kind of world they want to create. The future I've envisioned in [this book:] is not the way things have to be. But it is the future I'm afraid will develop if we don't work to change things. I firmly believe the next generation can do a better job of taking care of the earth and its people than we have until now.
That's an admirable objective and a sentiment I can appreciate. Yet she doesn't sermonise, never going so far as to alienate her readers. Like all good stories, it is about the people most of all, and their relationships to each other - between the lines is the unspoken point that it's all symbiosis, that our relationships with each other should be no different from the one that we have with the planet that sustains us.
I really liked Blay. She starts off shy, nervous and awkward, and gradually grows into a bright young woman with courage and conviction. It happens smoothly and naturally, so that you feel she is real. While some of the details of the history and the political situation aren't terribly clear, making it sometimes confusing or unjustified, Blay remains an endearing protagonist whose story is continued in The Raintree Rebellion. The other character who really comes alive is the landscape. This doesn't quite fit but I marked one quote that I liked, mostly because it captures a feeling I've known:
The joy in William's voice tugs at something left over in me from last night's dreams. The next time we pass one, I bend and touch the tarry surface of the asphalt outcrop. William says, "Imagine, the dance of continents happens all around us but at a pace too slow to comprehend, our lives passing in less than an eye-blink of geological time. Even our time on this earth as a species is mere moments." And I try but his ideas are too vast to hold. They slip from my grasp and are gone. (p164)
There are big ideas in this book too, and some gently-handled information about plants, animals and geology, slipped in carefully so as not to frighten the average teenager. It also deals with repression, oppressive government structures, freedom and other political ideologies. I would have loved this book had I read it at, say, 14. I enjoyed it at 29, but I'm much harder to please now. That said, it was a satisfying read and if you liked Obernewtyn or Scatterlings or other environmental post-apocalyptic YA novels, you'll enjoy this one as well.
March 23, 2010
Blay Raytee lives in a government work-camp in the year 2368. Humanity struggles to heal after the technocaust left the world in ruins. The government maintains its control by instilling fear in the people – the fear of technology. Those few that aren’t afraid, eventually become part of the resistance and fight for the return of a democratic society.
Blay is “saved” from a menial life at the work-camp when she is chosen to assist the new Bioindicator (guardian of the environment). Through her missions with Marrella, Blay learns the world isn’t as she’s always been told. Soon, she is involved in the resistance and through the use of technology, she discovers who she really is.
THE SECRET UNDER MY SKIN was a let down. The world Janet McNaughton created was complicated and the story didn’t contain enough conflict. The small amount of romance included in the story lacked authenticity and the ending was unsatisfying. The technocaust and the role/purpose of the Bioindicator needed more explanation. That being said, I still finished the book – even though it took my all of Spring Break. I kept hoping it would get better.
Blay is “saved” from a menial life at the work-camp when she is chosen to assist the new Bioindicator (guardian of the environment). Through her missions with Marrella, Blay learns the world isn’t as she’s always been told. Soon, she is involved in the resistance and through the use of technology, she discovers who she really is.
THE SECRET UNDER MY SKIN was a let down. The world Janet McNaughton created was complicated and the story didn’t contain enough conflict. The small amount of romance included in the story lacked authenticity and the ending was unsatisfying. The technocaust and the role/purpose of the Bioindicator needed more explanation. That being said, I still finished the book – even though it took my all of Spring Break. I kept hoping it would get better.
December 27, 2009
I liked this story of a post-global warming/misuse of technology world, where there are opposing factions, autocratic rule, resistance movements, etc., with children caught in the crossfire. The protagonist is in a orphanage-labor camp and is chosen to assist a soon-to-be "bio-indicator", a person who is like a mine canary for environmental toxins and changes.
There's discussion about fear of science being a bad thing, and also a lot of weaving (in fact there is a guild called the Weavers) of ancient, mystical worldviews and modern worldviews. The protagonist needs to be in the future generation's salvation group, but is of course the unlikely candidate, and that is part of the discovery throughout the story.
However, I had trouble keeping track of the various factions, people, and philosophies that were being presented, all throughout the book. Part of it had to do with the author's decision to just insert clues and little tidbits along the way. But I think the main problem was the sentence structure, in her attempt to do the slow reveal. I loved her post-apocalyptic descriptions of devices that we know instantly, and how the reader had to figure out what it actually was. But there were sentences involving two women, for example, and she would use "her" at some point, and I really couldn't figure out who "her" was, because of the structure and my difficulty in keeping up with who was on what 'team' and who held what ideology. A little too much subtlety and obfuscation for me.
But I liked the story. And the characters were complex enough to be of continuing interest. I cared about all of them, the mark of a good tale.
There's discussion about fear of science being a bad thing, and also a lot of weaving (in fact there is a guild called the Weavers) of ancient, mystical worldviews and modern worldviews. The protagonist needs to be in the future generation's salvation group, but is of course the unlikely candidate, and that is part of the discovery throughout the story.
However, I had trouble keeping track of the various factions, people, and philosophies that were being presented, all throughout the book. Part of it had to do with the author's decision to just insert clues and little tidbits along the way. But I think the main problem was the sentence structure, in her attempt to do the slow reveal. I loved her post-apocalyptic descriptions of devices that we know instantly, and how the reader had to figure out what it actually was. But there were sentences involving two women, for example, and she would use "her" at some point, and I really couldn't figure out who "her" was, because of the structure and my difficulty in keeping up with who was on what 'team' and who held what ideology. A little too much subtlety and obfuscation for me.
But I liked the story. And the characters were complex enough to be of continuing interest. I cared about all of them, the mark of a good tale.
June 25, 2012
Set in 2368, this dystopia describes a future where Democracy is non-existent and technology has been outlawed. During the Technocaust, thousands of people who worked with technology were killed.
Blay lives in a work camp where she sorts through garbage looking for valuable material. This is a step up from her former life on the street, where she'd lived since she was two. She doesn't know how she ended up there, or who she is.
Then, suddenly, Blay is swept away from the work camp to assist the new bio-indicator, whose job it is to test the environment for harmful toxins. In her new life, Blay will not only learn the shocking details of her past -' she will also join a rebellion.
This book is full of mystery, suspense, and lots of surprises. McNaughton's vision of the future is chilling, particularly because it seems very possible.
Blay lives in a work camp where she sorts through garbage looking for valuable material. This is a step up from her former life on the street, where she'd lived since she was two. She doesn't know how she ended up there, or who she is.
Then, suddenly, Blay is swept away from the work camp to assist the new bio-indicator, whose job it is to test the environment for harmful toxins. In her new life, Blay will not only learn the shocking details of her past -' she will also join a rebellion.
This book is full of mystery, suspense, and lots of surprises. McNaughton's vision of the future is chilling, particularly because it seems very possible.
June 7, 2013
This book kept me reading for sure! I enjoyed the pace. I did find some sections of text confusing as they lacked detail or did not indicate the subject of the sentence properly. (Sometimes I was like, 'Who is this sentence talking about?') I was a bit let down with the ending. Although it had a decent resolution, I was hoping for more action resulting from Blay being the intuitive one. The love story kind of seemed forced, perhaps to appeal to the younger readers. By the last few pages, I was fed up with Blay saying things and then stating her worry about whether she had said the wrong thing to or not. All those negatives aside, I found it kept me reading more likely because of the dystopian/post-apocalyptic themes and mystery/suspense surrounding the characters. A similar themed (but stronger) book recommendation I would give would be Chrysalids by John Wyndham.
August 31, 2009
I'd give this a 3.5, i think. I really liked the premise a lot, and definitely want to read the sequel. The writing quality was just okay though. It started out pretty good and then kind of went downhill. The antagonists were totally one-dimensional, and the "rebellion" that brings down the totalitarian government is miraculously carried out in five days and summed up in a page or two. Please. And there was the occasional super-cheesy sentence that just made me cringe. However, really interesting exploration of environment vs technology, and i liked the idea of people who are disabled by environmental toxins having special status in the society.
September 12, 2017
It was just ok. I was disappointed as it has been on my to read list for awhile. It was hard to understand at first as there was no real explanation of what type of world the main characters were living in, how it came to be, what the year was or location. And the plot was just ok.
June 1, 2011
It was plainly written and it'll be over before you knew it. I liked the story itself about Blay and her journey. It's the kind of book you would go back to and re-read.
May 27, 2025
I read this book as a 13 year old and the forgot the title for 22 years but thought about it frequently with the hope to re-read it. Well 22 years later I did and it is still an enjoyable read. Clearly aimed at young teens but with an interesting and engaging plot that doesn't feel dumbed down for the age group.
A quick read but worthwhile
A quick read but worthwhile
June 1, 2020
This novel shows an interesting and not entirely unbelievable vision of the future, after the world has been ruined due to pollution. People blaming everyone else, a government struggling to stay in power by fear and tight controls, and everyone, including young children, is put to work in some fashion.
McNaughton weaves an interesting future in her novel, and throws in a lot of little details that sometimes go missing in other YA novels, such as the issue of, well, clothing. In a world where technology is feared and tightly controlled, it’s not as though people can just run down to a department store and grab a new sweater. As such, the presence of the Weavers’ Guild, and the cultural meanings of things like knitting and other aspects of textile creation, are thrown into the forefront as seen as essential skills. Weavers are given high respect, and as such hold more than a small degree of power.
There’s more than one story going on here, as it is with most good books. There’s the story of Marella and her struggles to become a bio-indicator with Blay’s help, and then there’s the story of Blay trying to find out more about her past and just who she is. Side-by-side, the tale is a rich one that comes alive with ease, and draws you in.
The biggest shame about this book is that it’s so short. I hear there’s a sequel, and I suspect I’m going to have to track it down sooner rather than later, as I enjoyed this book so much. Definitely a recommend to fans of YA futuristic stories, and to those who enjoy hints of an interesting dystopia.
McNaughton weaves an interesting future in her novel, and throws in a lot of little details that sometimes go missing in other YA novels, such as the issue of, well, clothing. In a world where technology is feared and tightly controlled, it’s not as though people can just run down to a department store and grab a new sweater. As such, the presence of the Weavers’ Guild, and the cultural meanings of things like knitting and other aspects of textile creation, are thrown into the forefront as seen as essential skills. Weavers are given high respect, and as such hold more than a small degree of power.
There’s more than one story going on here, as it is with most good books. There’s the story of Marella and her struggles to become a bio-indicator with Blay’s help, and then there’s the story of Blay trying to find out more about her past and just who she is. Side-by-side, the tale is a rich one that comes alive with ease, and draws you in.
The biggest shame about this book is that it’s so short. I hear there’s a sequel, and I suspect I’m going to have to track it down sooner rather than later, as I enjoyed this book so much. Definitely a recommend to fans of YA futuristic stories, and to those who enjoy hints of an interesting dystopia.
May 8, 2014
this book is pure and utter shit throughout the first two pages i felt my life slipping away i am writing this before i take a revolver to my head and kill myself to warn any other people of its horrible writing and plot
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October 19, 2012I liked this book, easy read, similar to hunger games but more mild. reading level reminds me of hatch, sign of the beaver, tuck everlasting.
October 3, 2018
A very unique perspective of the futuristic, dystopian world! It was very interesting and captivating to read. Some of the details could have been more fleshed out- but overall, great read.
September 16, 2019
Really good, for a young adult book. It’s got that wistfulness and longing for something better. Not a crazy compelling answer, but it’s a start.
November 20, 2020
The Secret Beneath My Skin is a young adult science fiction novel that takes place in the year 2368 where the world is struggling to survive under strict government control due to environmental conditions. Blay lives in a work camp that is called a “Model Social Welfare Project.” There homeless children work raising crops and digging through trash heaps for any salvageable items. Reading is one of the few bright spots in her life and she has found a way to access forbidden literature on her lastbook. Her life takes a sudden change when she is selected to act as a tutor to the village’s bio-indicator. The bio-indicator is a young woman selected because of her sensitivity to the environment and she takes daily readings of various environmental factors. Blay also gets to know the Weaver’s Guild – a group of talented women who also run a resistance movement against The Commission who are trying to delegate everyone’s lives. Blay learns that everything that she has been told about the environment is not really true. The environment is actually improving, but the government is afraid they will lose control if people realize this.
Being a young adult book, of course there was a love interest for Blay. There was also a search for what had happened to her parents. The book reminded me of A Canticle for Leibowitz since there had been a technocaust where scientists and engineers had been blamed for and killed for the environmental problems on earth. The Secret Under My Skin was scary, believable and entertaining - which is what all sci-fi novels should be!
Being a young adult book, of course there was a love interest for Blay. There was also a search for what had happened to her parents. The book reminded me of A Canticle for Leibowitz since there had been a technocaust where scientists and engineers had been blamed for and killed for the environmental problems on earth. The Secret Under My Skin was scary, believable and entertaining - which is what all sci-fi novels should be!
January 13, 2022
A friend at work lent this to me, it's not something I would have have picked on my own. I'm so glad she recommended it, it was a really interesting read. I enjoyed it a lot and it was very thought provoking. I do think there are some loose ends, but overall I definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys dystopia or YA books.
February 1, 2022
The story of Blay Raytree is set in the future, but the themes are timeless. The story captivates the reader: the style grips us. There is heartbreak, hope, and possibility. This is one of my all-time favourites.
September 27, 2017
Confusing and long, but otherwise good
September 6, 2019
Childhood read that holds up 100%
October 28, 2019
3.5/5 stars. Definitely would've liked it more if I was younger.
February 10, 2016
This is an extremely good book about possible consequences of all the environmental problems that are going on right now. The book takes place in the year 2368.
The problems with the environment were every bit as bad as expected and worse. Rising sea level has caused the destruction of some cities, and other problems have led to the end of democratic rule (at least in Canada where the story takes place), and draconian measures by a group called The Commission that has seized power.
There was a thing called the technocaust when scientists were blamed for the problems (and not the greedy multi-national corporations), and many were killed. The main character, whose name at the start is Blay, is living in a orphanage of a type, but it's really a work camp for young children.
There is also a person called a bio-indicator who takes a position that has her or him monitoring the environment for toxins; the person is basically the 'canary in the coal mine.' There's a nearby village that has an intense dislike of any advanced technology, and spends most of its time weaving.
Blay ends up getting picked by a woman that is due to become the next bio-indicator, and the story takes off from there. Blay is basically the woman's helper, but she really ends up doing most of the work that Marella, the bio-indicator-in-waiting, should be doing.
There's some really good stuff about how propaganda has been fed to the children in the work camps to make them believe certain people are evil when they aren't. Blay learns that what she has been told has little if any relevance to reality.
She helps Marella train, learns about what is basically a resistance movement, gets a crush on a guy, helps on a vision quest, tries to find out about her own background, and discovers that she has abilities she never knew she had.
There's also a peasant's uprising, of a sort, and a lot of interaction between the Weaver's Guild and the military.
The book is an excellent preview of what could very well happen if the man-made climate problems are not dealt with effectively, and if the anti-scientific right-wing groups get their way.
The problems with the environment were every bit as bad as expected and worse. Rising sea level has caused the destruction of some cities, and other problems have led to the end of democratic rule (at least in Canada where the story takes place), and draconian measures by a group called The Commission that has seized power.
There was a thing called the technocaust when scientists were blamed for the problems (and not the greedy multi-national corporations), and many were killed. The main character, whose name at the start is Blay, is living in a orphanage of a type, but it's really a work camp for young children.
There is also a person called a bio-indicator who takes a position that has her or him monitoring the environment for toxins; the person is basically the 'canary in the coal mine.' There's a nearby village that has an intense dislike of any advanced technology, and spends most of its time weaving.
Blay ends up getting picked by a woman that is due to become the next bio-indicator, and the story takes off from there. Blay is basically the woman's helper, but she really ends up doing most of the work that Marella, the bio-indicator-in-waiting, should be doing.
There's some really good stuff about how propaganda has been fed to the children in the work camps to make them believe certain people are evil when they aren't. Blay learns that what she has been told has little if any relevance to reality.
She helps Marella train, learns about what is basically a resistance movement, gets a crush on a guy, helps on a vision quest, tries to find out about her own background, and discovers that she has abilities she never knew she had.
There's also a peasant's uprising, of a sort, and a lot of interaction between the Weaver's Guild and the military.
The book is an excellent preview of what could very well happen if the man-made climate problems are not dealt with effectively, and if the anti-scientific right-wing groups get their way.
February 10, 2008
Blay is an unwanted child, an orphan of the technocaust. She lives in a work camp, run by the Comission, where she sorts through a landfill in exchange for a bed and regular meals.
Everything changes when William, the Master of the Way up the hill comes to the work camp and chooses her to be the tutor and companion to Marella, the bio-indicator that he is preparing. Because William and his wife Erica are involved in the resistance against the Comission. And for the first time in her life, Blay finds that she has an identity, and a purpose.
This is an interesting post-apoc book, where the apocalypse is basically global warming and the destruction of the ozone layer, followed by a worldwide fear and hate of all science and technology, resulting in the the technocaust, in which all scientists and techies were taken to concentration camps and killed.
We only learn about the apocalypse in bits and pieces--we're really only seeing the late aftermath, and only through Blay's eyes. I really wanted more pieces of the apocalypse, to see how it had happened, and how the Comission had come to have such a stranglehold on the world. I also felt like the ending came too quickly, and too easily.
Mostly I just wanted more. I wanted more about how it happened, how it's been since them,how it started to change. I wanted more about the Way and the Weavers and the bio-indicators. I just really, really wanted more.
Everything changes when William, the Master of the Way up the hill comes to the work camp and chooses her to be the tutor and companion to Marella, the bio-indicator that he is preparing. Because William and his wife Erica are involved in the resistance against the Comission. And for the first time in her life, Blay finds that she has an identity, and a purpose.
This is an interesting post-apoc book, where the apocalypse is basically global warming and the destruction of the ozone layer, followed by a worldwide fear and hate of all science and technology, resulting in the the technocaust, in which all scientists and techies were taken to concentration camps and killed.
We only learn about the apocalypse in bits and pieces--we're really only seeing the late aftermath, and only through Blay's eyes. I really wanted more pieces of the apocalypse, to see how it had happened, and how the Comission had come to have such a stranglehold on the world. I also felt like the ending came too quickly, and too easily.
Mostly I just wanted more. I wanted more about how it happened, how it's been since them,how it started to change. I wanted more about the Way and the Weavers and the bio-indicators. I just really, really wanted more.
August 1, 2012
My history with this book is that I saw it on the shelf all the time in the library in middle school but never bothered to pick it up because the title didn't really catch my interest and it didn't seem to fit with the genre I devoured at the time (medieval/fantasy). Then the other day I was at the library and saw this book and thought. "Oh, this book. Well, I like An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton. I wonder what this is about." I picked it up and flipped it over and read the back and went, "No way! Life after an ecological devastation! Someone writing about the environment?!"
So I signed it out and thought it would be pretty cool, because while this type of thing didn't particularly interest me in middle school, it certainly does now, and I thought it could be a really good read. And it was! I really enjoyed it. Sometimes the plot was a bit confusing, trying to understand the history, and who the bad/good guys were and which organisations interacted with whom or did what. But I liked the characters and found that my first impressions of Blake and Marrella were completely wrong, which doesn't usually happen. That's cool. I also really liked that it was set in Canada, in Newfoundland, and that Fraser knit Blake a sweater. That was cool.
Will read again at some point.
So I signed it out and thought it would be pretty cool, because while this type of thing didn't particularly interest me in middle school, it certainly does now, and I thought it could be a really good read. And it was! I really enjoyed it. Sometimes the plot was a bit confusing, trying to understand the history, and who the bad/good guys were and which organisations interacted with whom or did what. But I liked the characters and found that my first impressions of Blake and Marrella were completely wrong, which doesn't usually happen. That's cool. I also really liked that it was set in Canada, in Newfoundland, and that Fraser knit Blake a sweater. That was cool.
Will read again at some point.
June 5, 2008
I was assigned to lead a workshop on this book for Peace Week at my school. (I got lucky--all the other teachers leading book groups had to read memoirs), and it wasn't a bad book. There wasn't really anything that made it stand out from other YA fiction, but it was pretty well-written, and it dealt with some very interesting ideas--the relationship between government, society, technology and the environment, effective ways to produce social change, etc. All in all, a good fit for Peace Week.
The only problem? This is a relatively non-violent book whose main character is a girl, and I had four middle school boys in my group. Their summary of the book? "We should take care of the environment or we'll die." Their main criticism? "It needs more bloodshed. Then it would be cool." The more we talked about this book, and the layers of meaning, and the implications of our actions and choices, the more they got into it, but it's amazing how sometimes getting them to recognize the way things connect to each other can be like pulling teeth. Lord bless the English teachers. This was fun, but I couldn't do it all year.
The only problem? This is a relatively non-violent book whose main character is a girl, and I had four middle school boys in my group. Their summary of the book? "We should take care of the environment or we'll die." Their main criticism? "It needs more bloodshed. Then it would be cool." The more we talked about this book, and the layers of meaning, and the implications of our actions and choices, the more they got into it, but it's amazing how sometimes getting them to recognize the way things connect to each other can be like pulling teeth. Lord bless the English teachers. This was fun, but I couldn't do it all year.
January 5, 2017
McNaughton continues her brilliant story construction in this dystopic vision of a future Newfoundland. The idea of a Technocaust is entirely chilling, and yet in what readers have come to expect of her stories, it is not without rays of hope. Her characters are intriguing and strong, from Blay to Erica and Clara, and even Marella. They are tinged in some of the traditional Newfoundland traits as well, making the world she sees that much more believable.
The ending does not disappoint, but again, in McNaughton's usual fashion, she holds to life-like honesty in that not everything is happy and the reader is imbued with the sense that life goes on beyond the pages. Everything is not settled, but the characters, like us, continue onward in the struggle of everyday life, knowing hope as well as their own strength and desire for freedom.
This novel goes to the top of my list with David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. It is also the second book I would entertain reading multiple times as well as exploring through literary criticism and theory! I look forward to working with this masterpiece in the future.
The ending does not disappoint, but again, in McNaughton's usual fashion, she holds to life-like honesty in that not everything is happy and the reader is imbued with the sense that life goes on beyond the pages. Everything is not settled, but the characters, like us, continue onward in the struggle of everyday life, knowing hope as well as their own strength and desire for freedom.
This novel goes to the top of my list with David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. It is also the second book I would entertain reading multiple times as well as exploring through literary criticism and theory! I look forward to working with this masterpiece in the future.
March 13, 2024
This book and its sequel have been comfort books for me for a very long time. I first read it when I was an older teen and fell in love with the story and the characters. I reread it a couple times, then put it away for a while. I went to university to get a bachelor of science in biology (minor geology) and at some point afterwards, I picked up this book again and was ecstatic upon re-reading all the science stuff, the way the books influence Blay's subconscience so she knows how to answer the questions. I love learning to love Erica and William, feeling the excitement as Blay learns how the world is not at all how she thought it was, Lem's tragic backstory... all of it intrigued me.
The writing style is okay, I admit I wish there was a little more detail, but it is geared at younger audiences so I get it. Despite not being the smoothest style, I've enjoyed every book I've read by Janet McNaughton, so clearly she manages to speak to me and hook me via the characters and worlds she weaves.
The writing style is okay, I admit I wish there was a little more detail, but it is geared at younger audiences so I get it. Despite not being the smoothest style, I've enjoyed every book I've read by Janet McNaughton, so clearly she manages to speak to me and hook me via the characters and worlds she weaves.
October 20, 2008
It is not difficult to imagine a future where the environment is toxic to humans. It is not difficult to imagine a future where quasi governmental agencies rule the remaining populace through fear and intimidation. It is perhaps more difficult to imagine how citizens might begin to assert their democratic rights in such an environment, but that is exactly what Janet McNaughton attempts to do in The Secret Under My Skin. Blay Raytee seems an unlikely choice to be the next savior of her village -- having been housed for years in a bleak work camp, but once she's been chosen to assist the new "bio-indicator" she begins to unravel the secrets of her past, as she tries to weave a transparent future.
September 29, 2011
'The Secret Under My Skin' is one of the best young adult sci-fi novels that I've read recently. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of reading the sequel (The Raintree Rebellion) before I read this, so I was aware of some things that were supposed to be secret. However, I didn't think that detracted from my experience! Blake (or Blay) is a likeable, quietly brave character who unexpectedly stumbles into a rebellion that she doesn't understand. The rest of the characters are well-rounded, especially Lem, and the futuristic "technology" is entirely believable. The description of the "technocaust" didn't make me scoff - I found it realistic and intriguing.
Overall a great book! Would definitely recommend it.
Overall a great book! Would definitely recommend it.
March 27, 2016
This was a great dystopia. It had some complex themes and a believable world. Environmental damage and the planet's ability to recover are central to the plot, while also being written about as almost matter of fact parts of daily life. The characters are not very complex, but many of them do develop, change, and become more rounded over time.
I loved reading about a young woman discovering science and enjoying reading and learning despite a lack of formal training. It was also nice to see a young adult book explore authoritarianism, religion versus the state, wanting to learn, and environmentalism without beating the reader over the head with point.
It was a quick read for me, both from enjoyment and an easier reading level.
I loved reading about a young woman discovering science and enjoying reading and learning despite a lack of formal training. It was also nice to see a young adult book explore authoritarianism, religion versus the state, wanting to learn, and environmentalism without beating the reader over the head with point.
It was a quick read for me, both from enjoyment and an easier reading level.
May 28, 2010
I have never really had an interest for the genre sci-fi, but this one definitely caught my attention. The attention to detail at very turn was quite interesting. The timeline of every event seemed perfectly in place and the people's accounts of their pasts were so well timed that it hardly seemed like it was created by a person's imagination. For example, when they found the birth date of the main character Blake Raintree, it was so in proportion to the other events it was incredibly believable. This book was great in retrospect, but I'm not sure how many people I would recommend it to if I were reading it at the moment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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