In this stunning psychological/medical thriller, the bestselling author of "Flashback" explores the nature of beauty, and the forbidding yearnings that kill in its name.
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In this stunning psychological/medical thriller, the bestselling author of "Flashback" explores the nature of beauty, and the forbidding yearnings that kill in its name.
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Braver, Gary., Forge (Tom Doherty Associates), 2008, c2008, 1st Edition, 1st printing, black cloth (hard cover), fine with fine dj, 385 pp, tall 8vo, ISBN: 9780765309754, 'Someone is hunting the most alluring women of Boston; someone whose keen eye for beauty masks a twisted mind'
How does the American public deal with the everyday social pressures that are generated by the society in which we live? And how does Gary Braver reveal the society in which he lives? His most recent thriller, Skin Deep takes on Western religious views regarding sex and procreation, with a twist. Gary has woven the story of a sexually disturbed young man into the story of the local homocide squad to continuously remind the reader that his theme is sexual. In it he expresses his personal view; most people are looking to find a partner that will become family to them, he finds this acceptable to most folk.
Although Gary Braver?s neutral omniscient point of view allows the reader to judge whether plastic surgery and casual sex are the norm for our society, it is apparent that he feels that the act of sexual intercourse is not a game to be entered into frivolously with no regard for life. For at the end of the story the plastic surgeon is caught in the act of stealing someone?s face to change his identity from male to female, and the lead detective?s wife is pregnant. For Gary, accepting oneself as female means bringing to the world a continuing human race. Accepting oneself as male requires enabling women to conceive .
The reader must decide if plastic surgery contributes to the ability to attract a mate. There is competition for the role of motherhood in the today?s world. Not everyone can reproduce, as there is no need for so many humans. Those that would like to parent find it necessary to attract a partner that is also interested in raising a family. Plastic surgery is an attempt to beautify oneself. We believe that our ugliness will frighten others and alienate us from society. We do not trust others to accept us as we are. It is natural to do this; many species beautify themselves or their nest in order to attract a mate.
In the story, Dana, Steve?s wife, has been concerned with her appearance since she has separated from her husband. Thirty-nine years old, she is considering a career change. She says that we live in a ?skin-deep culture that eats its old. ? She has been passed over for the sales jobs that her friend, Lanie, encouraged her to persue. She wishes to lose the identity associated with her Swedish nose in order to take on another identity, thinking that surgery will automatically make her feel like a different person. She tries to make herself wanted by someone else. Dana would like to join into mutual dependence with a man who would like to raise children with her; Steve is not him. He has a substance abuse problem and will not agree to spend the next twenty years helping to raise their offspring. Dana?s decision to find a more suitable partner is vital to the continuation of the species. It is instinctive for a female.
The argument between Steve and Dana prepares us for the books ending. According to Gary?s theme, there is no need for marriage if there are no children. Dana blames Steve for their empty nest. She is unlike the other victims because she refuses to take a casual attitude toward sex (one of the other girls regards stripping as aerobic dancing with no clothes on). Even the act of kissing someone other than her husband is ackward . She will not have sex without welcoming the children that are the result of the act, and this is the reason why something terrible has not happened to her and why Steve is not the killer. In Gary?s story the conflict of Dana and Steve?s marriage having no children is resolved when Dana becomes pregnant.
