The Silence of the Wilting Skin
Readers rate it 3.3 (4 on Hardcover)
104 pages · Released May 20, 2020 · Pink Narcissus Press
Content report card
The Silence of the Wilting Skin parent’s guide: what’s inside
Violence
Language
Sexual content
LGBTQ+ themes
Substance use
What it offers
A note for parents
This is a literary science fiction/fantasy novella with a dreamlike, dystopian African setting that explores themes of identity loss and family obligation through magical realism. The narrative is complex and surreal, dealing with existential dread and psychological distress rather than conventional plot—not typical YA despite being categorized as such. The intense emotional tone, fragmented reality, and disturbing body horror concepts (peeling skin, disappearance) make it better suited to older teens ready for challenging, abstract literary fiction.
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From the publisher
In an African city, a nameless young woman living in the wards slowly begins to lose her identity: her skin color is peeling off, people are becoming invisible, and the city plans to destroy the train where they bury their dead. After the narrator is given a warning by her grandmother's dreamskin, things begin to fall... In an African city, a nameless young woman living in the wards slowly begins to lose her identity: her skin color is peeling off, people are becoming invisible, and the city plans to destroy the train where they bury their dead. After the narrator is given a warning by her grandmother's dreamskin, things begin to fall apart. Struggling to hold onto a fluctuating reality, she prescribes herself insomnia in a desperate attempt to save her family.
Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Young Adult
- Science fiction
- LGBTQ
- Dystopian
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ISBN 9781939056177 · Pink Narcissus Press