Skin Deep by Liz Nugent #bookreview

On my blog today I’m sharing my thoughts on Skin Deep, a psychological thriller by Liz Nugent.

BLURB

She’s not who you think she is …

Delia O’Flaherty is as wild, remote and dangerous as her island home off the west coast of Ireland. Her adoring father tells her that one day she will be the Queen of Inishcrann.

However, tragedy leaves Delia alone in the world, to make her way relying on her wits and her rare beauty. But Delia’s beauty is deceptive – as anyone who cares about her eventually finds out.

What is the truth behind Delia’s tragic past? And what happens when a face from that past turns up on her doorstep?

MY THOUGHTS

Skin Deep is a dark, compulsive read. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try Liz Nugent’s books. Her characters came to life on the page, and I was compelled to read on. Delia is a very intriguing character and I thought that Liz Nugent wrote her life story so well. I had so many different opinions of her as Liz Nugent delved deeper and deeper into her story.

A gripping prologue sets the scene. A man is lying dead; a woman stands looking down at him. Who is the woman who is standing there? Who is the man? What did he do to deserve this?

We first meet Delia when she is a young girl, living on an island off the coast of Ireland called Inishcrann. The population of the island is dwindling, and the locals don’t want it to die. Delia is the apple of her father’s eye, and he proclaims her Queen of the islanders. But he treats his wife and two sons with discontent. I wanted to know why this was. Why couldn’t he share the same love he had for his daughter with the rest of his family? What had they done to him?

I thought the island setting in the opening pages was very dark and atmospheric. To me, even though there aren’t many people on the island, it seemed very claustrophobic. There is no escaping the wrath of the locals if you do something to offend them. Delia’s character grows as she later leaves the island and finds a home on the mainland. It’s very hard to talk more about this book without giving too much away, so I don’t want to say much more about what happens.

I found Delia to be a very difficult character to warm to, and I think many readers will have different opinions of her. Part of me did feel sorry for her, especially for what she went through as a young child, but some of her decisions made me mad. Without giving too much away, though, I was rooting for her to make peace and reconnect with her past.

Skin Deep is such a compelling read. Liz Nugent writes her characters so well, and her writing is so absorbing. This is the first book by Liz, which I have read, and I will be catching up on her other books as soon as possible.

Publisher: Penguin

Publication date: 15th November 2018

Print length: 384 pages

Skin Deep is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones