In the Skin of a Monster

Overview

A profound, intense, heartbreaking fantasy that tackles issues of fate versus free will, and whether you can ever truly know someone

Three years ago, Alice's identical twin sister took a gun to school and killed seven innocent kids; now Alice wears the same face as a monster. She's struggling with her identity, and with life in the small Australian town where everyone was touched by the tragedy. Just as Alice thinks things can't get much worse, she encounters her sister on a deserted highway. Alice soon discovers that she has stepped into a different reality, a dream world, where she's trapped with the nightmares of everyone in the community. Here Alice is forced to confront the true impact of everything that happened the day her twin sister took a gun to school—and to reveal her own secret to the boy who hates her most.

Reviews

"This is a brave debut that has the potential to start powerful conversations about the emotional challenges facing young adults." —Books+Publishing

"One of the most original novels I've read for a long while. Great voices. Complex relationships. Just what I love to read." —Melina Marchetta, author, On the Jellicoe Road

Author Biography

Kathryn Barker is a film producer and former lawyer.