Skin Deep

Liz Nugent Penguin. Out Thursday We meet Cordelia Russell as she flees her Riviera apartment, leaving a bloodied corpse on the bedroom floor, as she seeks oblivion at a party. But what has led her to such a desperate act of violence? Following her from her dysfunctional childhood, to her rackety middle age on the Riviera, every wrong turn and mis-step of her life is described in painful detail. Narcissistic Cordelia is a fascinating creation and her increasingly deluded narrative is morbidly compelling. Beautifully written and completely gripping – right up to the astonishing ending.