Honestly, the concept behind this novel – of a tattoo that comes to life in order to possess its owner – is entirely bizarre. There were multiple parts of this book in which I would sit and think in the back of my mind, "What on earth am I even looking at…" And I loved it.
James Dawson has this amazing gift. He can take any crazy, outlandish idea, chuck it into a rather typical teenage setting, and it works.
Sally Feather, the main character, at the start is your standard teenage character, with her obsessive love of a supernatural-themed TV show, few but close friends, and discontent with her life as it currently is. All this changes when she gets a tattoo at a (surprise surprise) mysterious and ominous tattoo parlour, a picture of the kind of girl she has always wanted to be.
What struck me more than ever is that this novel showed the strength of women. What's more, it wasn't exclusively the typically seen image of female strength, in the red lipstick wearing rebels with no-nonsense attitudes and wars against gender inequality (although that featured in some parts of Molly-Sue, who, if we ignore the obvious character flaw of being a psychopathic killer demon, was sassy and fabulous). Under My Skin also offered a perspective on female strength in Sally struggling against evil (including rape culture and domestic violence), in self-discovery and in overcoming fears. This is relatable for all of us – Sally leads the way in how to be strong even in our weak moments. Because Sally does not feel powerful most of the time, in fact, throughout the novel she lacks self assurance and is unhappy with herself. But if she can be strong when she feels like this, then so can we when we have similar emotions.
If I had to criticise, I would say that I found quite a few of the characters stereotypical, with your jocks and cheerleaders, nerds and dorks. As per usual, there was romance, but it wasn't overpowering, and the themes of violence and disrespect in teenage relationships were brought up wonderfully. These are huge issues in our society today - I am so glad that Under My Skin included them.
The book was bizarre to follow at times, but to be completely fair, it flowed much more smoothly than it theoretically should have done. A possession tattoo? A vanishing shop? An imaginary nun? But it worked, and what's more it worked with a lengthy speech about teenage misogyny and the expectations of women by Molly-Sue (round of applause for James Dawson!).
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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