In My Skin: A Memoir - Softcover

Holden, Kate

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841957917 ISBN 13: 9781841957913

Publisher: Canongate Books, 2006

Synopsis

Rare book

About this title

About the Author:

Kate Holden was born in 1972 and graduated from the University of Melbourne with an honors degree in classics and literature. She won the Judy Duffy Award for literary excellence for a draft manuscript of this book. She lives in Melbourne and is working on a novel.

From Publishers Weekly:

What happens when a bright, well-loved young woman gets hooked on heroin and turns to prostitution to keep up her habit? Hopefully, she eventually shakes free, as Australian Holden does, but most likely a lot goes wrong first. In this vivid and riveting account of her own sudden fall and slow recovery, Holden describes the slow pull toward heroin as her friends and her lover are hooked. Mild, almost bored temptation turns into obsession after she gives it a try. As the drug and the life compromises it encourages take over Holden's universe, she loses her job and rarely sees her family and clean friends. Eventually, desperate for cash for the daily fixes for herself and her inept boyfriend, she starts turning tricks on the street. When, one night, a john turns out to be a scout for temps at a brothel, Holden's story turns. The relative stability of the brothel, and the accompanying relationships with sister prostitutes and even some johns, revives Holden's sense of self and self-worth. Throughout, she tells it like it is. Her depictions of the dark realities she lived through are at times graphic, especially in some of the more difficult scenes with johns, but always clear-eyed. She lets the readers see—and judge—the situation for themselves. (Nov.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1841957917
• ISBN 13: 9781841957913
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304