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One woman journeys across the world in search of her Big Love. She meets an online pen pal, encounters political tragedy, and discovers what she left behind.
Alison Jamison writes her latest novel, Under My Skin depicting human relationships in the context of a complex intermingling of technology, sheer happenstance, and political upheaval. She portrays the fragility of lives through the strength of loss, love, and human need. Through technological contact, she demonstrates human openness with each other. Once the barriers vanish, human beings hide behind insignificant insecurities which can damage healthy human relationships. Hope and Larry is a young couple in their twenties who marry on a whim. Many may say they are completely unprepared for such a commitment because they are practically broke but they in love. But, they are happy. Hope also only talks to her online friend, Matilda. Although they have never met in person, she feels she can trust her. Matilda also has a secret from Hope. She is obsessed with an older man, Grassman who can never love her. Unfortunately, Larry doesn’t know that Hope is hiding a secret from him which threatens to destroy their happiness. Soon after they marry, her boss seduces Hope. When Larry discovers the affair, he leaves Hope. His departure leaves her lost and heartbroken. Eventually, she tries to rebuild a life for herself. However, she receives word that he is in New York City. Instinctively, she goes after him. It is in New York when she first meets Matilda. Her online pen pal no longer appears as benign as innocent. Jamison crafts a crash collision of four lives during the most tragic events in modern United States history-September 11th, 2001. Hope searches for the Big Love which she always had in Larry. She let him get away. Grassman searches for a love which would give him a prolonging life. He overlooked Matilda. While all characters are in a search for happiness, not all paths lead to the same results. Only in the latter part of the novel does Jamison tie together the dramatic consequences of conscious choices human beings make and where they may eventually lead. She intricately weaves a story about life, death, and the challenges to love in between. The characters search for love and peace of mind in a turbulent time. The theme of death also pervade throughout the novel, not only on one given day, but also mentioned as suicides in characters’ families. Jamison creates an atmosphere of searchers. Although Alison Jamison’s second novel is more introverted than her first, This Man and Me (2006), it is not without humor or vitality. Jamison’s writing style is concise and flows move readers through the story with ease. Beautifully written.
The copyright of the article Review: Under My Skin in Modern American Fiction is owned by Mona Lisa Safai. Permission to republish Review: Under My Skin in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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