Never in my memory has a book kept me from sleep or made me avoid everyday objects. Officially, Such Lovely Skin (Page Street Publishing) by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is the most unsettling book I have ever read, full stop.
The novel follows the narrator, a teen girl named Viv who is a relatively well-known video game streamer, in the months following her baby sister’s death. Viv’s voice is authentic and sympathetic, which makes her a narrator easy to follow. As readers, we understand why she makes the decisions she makes. We know this is a horror novel, the back of the book tells us that a demonic mimic will haunt Viv, but the execution of this promise still manages to surprise.
Schlote-Bonne’s language is careful. She created a narrator who loves horror — is attracted to it and unfazed by it — which should make building a scary atmosphere harder, because Viv doesn’t scare easily. She is lonely and bereaved and racked with guilt, but she doesn’t scare easily. So when she starts to believe she’s being followed, it’s already serious.
When we first see Viv’s mimic it feels like the false jump scare you might expect at the beginning of a horror movie, and Viv dismisses it as such. But it isn’t. And it’s unnerving.
Sometimes Viv’s descriptions drop hints for the reader that she herself doesn’t pick up on, which gave me the feeling of wanting to shout at the “screen” to warn her. Viv is so used to elements of horror and so focused on finding a way to help her parents recover financially from her sister’s death (with her income from streaming) that the tension is palpable. It had me stuck to my seat and turning my phone to “Do Not Disturb” so that I could get to the resolution.
I want to describe the characters and quote passages from the book, but it is difficult to do without context or without spoiling some part of the story. The climax happens naturally, seeming like the obvious next step in the plot, but even in that moment I wasn’t sure how things were going to go for Viv.
Genre fiction and YA both get passed over (too) frequently for not being “serious.” I want to really urge folks who veer away from either to try Such Lovely Skin. Schlote-Bonne understands plot structure, character building and emotional stakes. Her prose is exacting, evocative, honest. Schlote-Bonne wrote a book about a haunted video game that manages to be funny and real and moving. I can’t imagine dismissing this book.
I may never look at a video game the same way (thankfully, I am not a gamer, only a friend of gamers) but I am also a little more grateful for my friends’ niche interests (you never know whose occult knowledge will lead to the discovery of a demonic mimic!) and the ways we can recognize one another.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s October 2024 issue.
