Skin Deep

by Catherine Barry

Finn has felt unhappy with her looks since she was a child… Her brothers’ hand-me-down clothes and cheap, ugly possessions set her apart from all of the other little girls she knew. Instead of frilly pink dresses and sparkling white socks, she had shorts and jackets made out of old curtains. As an adult, Finn has hidden her disgraceful and embarrassing body behind a succession of overly large clothing, promising she’ll lose ten more pounds and finally fit into that size 14…but constantly sneaking choccies into her pockets to gorge on in private. If only she were beautiful and sexy, she thinks, she would finally find the happiness she so desperately craves — a happiness, or lack thereof, that she believes is linked directly to her disappointing chest size. Blaming her dysfunctional childhood, failed relationships, and poor job prospects for her lacklustre image and inability to get ahead in life, Finn decides that the only way to turn things around and make her life one worth living is to go under the knife…and finally get the 36C body she’s always dreamed of. Despite the reassuring words of her friends and co-workers that there is nothing wrong with who she already is, Finn is determined to have the surgery. In doing so, she is succumbing to a societal preoccupation with beauty and looks that has convinced her that as long as she remains the way she is, she’ll never be able to live her life to the fullest. Post-operative Finn’s life changes dramatically — but is it all she imagined it would be? Praise for Catherine Barry ‘Rich with Irish humour and universal truths, Skin Deep cuts through the world’s outer shell to reveal real, flawed people you care about’ —Cathy Kelly Catherine Barry was born in 1963 and grew up in a home in which the love of books was encouraged. She began keeping a diary when she was six. Her first novel, The House That Jack Built , was published in 2001, followed by Null & Void in 2002, with her first nonfiction title, Charlie & Me , published in 2011. She lives in Dublin.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[DeB · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Finn has struggled with a disconnection between her physical being and her sense of self worth since childhood. She detests the Gaelic name she was given at birth, and changed it. Raised with highly esteemed brothers, Finn felt displaced as an unwanted female in her family and loathes her body, her appearance and discounts all compliments. She has made a new life for herself in Dublin, surprising herself with career stability and solid friendships but her love life has given her the same negative returns as her self image.

The Irish characters of Skin Deep are deeply connected; their conversations are earthy, profanely humorous and even bawdy at times, concerned as these twenty-something singletons are with their and one another's sex lives. As Daria, Finn's best friend and Londonite discovers, the sharp-edged, crass Irish repartee is meant to demonstrate affection while keeping each other at safe emotional distances. The novel is enjoyably quirky, fast-paced and the characters are surprisingly well-developed.

This little novel is chick lit with a twist. Beyond the barbed humour, serious ethics and racism are examined. Skin Deep explores the dangerous territory in the myth of the best body with its big boobs being a launching point for self determination, and the inherent crises that drastic plastic surgery can inflict upon vulnerable young women. Finn deals with crises of her own on many levels, eventually arriving where she has a sense of belonging, mature love and understanding of her own heart.

Fans of North America's Jennifer Crusie, Jennifer Wiener and the debut author Judith Natelli McLaughlin will enjoy the classic style of Irish author Catherine Barry's story of friendship, personal discovery and the many meanings of love.

(The novel, formerly published in paperback in 2004, has been released by Endeavour as an e-book. It is a bit dated as a consequence of its age and no further editing, but the themes are classic and just as valid today. If it had been updated I would have given it 4 stars.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Endeavour Publishing for a digital copy of this reprint.

*I added this edition, with full details and have asked Goodreads Librarians to combine all.

[Hristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an excellent read. The characters are extremely realistic. Not to mention how much I connected with Finn, the heroine who was marvelously executed, and very relatable. The plot is incredible. The whole story is crowded with laugh out loud moments which I enjoyed a lot. It's a quick and fun read. It's an amazing book, I recommend it.

Update: April 27th 2017
I found a typo and had to fix it. Oh well.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear :( this was an easy, but not particularly gripping or enjoyable read. I found it didn't quite go beneath the surface, and the potentially deep subject matter wasn't fully explored. I didn't particularly like the main character, or find her endearing or witty. Not sure how to be constructive about this one, it just wasn't for me.

[Mariam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I thought I'd enjoy this but majority of the book had me annoyed. I know I liked the fact it's set in the UK, has British slang, idioms which makes the conversations between characters informal and relatable. While I did get an insight into breast implants/ surgery, the process of it, whic was interesting, and I got to understand why Finn struggles with her weight (although she's average weight I believe, she does have small boobs in comparison to her body which makes her insecure and the fact men rave about big breasts).

However, I feel this book can be discouraging to those women who have weight issues. Although in the end, Finn gets the implants removed, there is allt of humour in here revolving around weight which can be a sensitive matter and upsetting.

Example: 'You know, if you continue to eat as much as you do, I wouldn’t be surprised if NASA come looking for you.’ ‘Huh?’ she said.
‘They might want to use you to fill the hole in the ozone layer,'

If that doesn't affect you, then go ahead read the book. You will enjoy it as it gives you an insight into the negative aspect of getting implants and sends out the message you should love yourself regardless.

Another thing is Finn's love interest calls her 'Skin.' What does that make you think? To me he's calling her skinny which she contradicts, so it could come across as an insult/ teasing negatively idk 🤷‍♀️

My last point is on the writing and the lack of punctuation in many instances. At one point she summarises what happens at the clinic but using speech-like sentences and no speech marks.

Example: Can the operation be reversed? I asked.
Of course, he responded.

[Idea Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This was an easy book to read, by which I do not mean that it was good. While surgical breast augmentation has become a big part of our culture, there is very little in common narrative about what the person having it done thinks and feels. So it was interesting to have a story try to address that.

However, it went the way of a lot of average chicklit - oversimplify the issue, rags-to-riches emotionally speaking with a man as the primary driver for this. It even had the stock tropes of the genre - poor body image, bad relationship with mother, dead-end job, best friend who is slightly superior in some way but only slightly. Throw in a gay best friend and too much drinking and you'd have a Bridget Jones-meets-Shopaholic story right out of the early noughties. The climax was too abrupt, the happily-ever-after too conveniently resolved. Not satisfying for something this unusual and deep.

I would have liked to see the issue tackled better. It's really not enough to have a great subject and then take the easy way out with standard tropes.

[Tara J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obvious, but that was okay. Write-up was misleading. Ended on a good note but hated the main character for most of the book.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book and characters were so relatable! It was more than just a chick lit. It took a deeper look at many issues that people today are facing. It was so nice to see this and see struggles and not just the happy, bubbly things normally in chick lit.

**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review**

[Shaddow Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine Barry is another new author to me but she is a good writer. Finn is the main characteristics she has hang-ups about her weight and men. The author is commercial about her writing. I would recommend this book to people to read.