Enjoy this book Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

"Such Lovely Skin" by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a captivating and haunting novel that delves into the psychological struggles of its protagonist, Viv, a gamer who is grappling with deep guilt and trauma. At its core, the novel blends elements of psychological horror with a contemporary exploration of the impact of gaming culture, grief, and guilt. The story is dark and unsettling, yet it is also poignant in its portrayal of a young woman trying to come to terms with her past and the terrifying consequences of her actions.

Viv, the main character, is a streamer on the popular gaming platform Twitch. Prior to the novel’s events, Viv had a flourishing career as a content creator, known for her engaging personality and skillful gameplay. However, her life took a tragic turn when she caused an accident that led to the death of her younger sister. Since that traumatic event, Viv has been emotionally crippled by guilt, unable to move forward with her life. She isolates herself, abandoning her Twitch channel and withdrawing from the world as she wrestles with her inner demons and the immense burden of responsibility for her sister’s death.

As the novel opens, Viv is at a crossroads. After a long hiatus, she makes the decision to return to streaming in the hopes of finding a way to cope with her guilt and make amends to her parents. She views Twitch not only as a potential source of income, but as a way to offer some kind of penance for the tragedy she caused. By making enough money from streaming, she hopes to alleviate the financial burden her family faces and, in doing so, offer a small measure of redemption for what she sees as her unforgivable mistake.

Schlote-Bonne masterfully sets the tone of the novel from the very beginning, immersing readers in Viv's psychological turmoil. Viv is portrayed as a deeply flawed, yet sympathetic character, whose internal struggle resonates with readers. She is not only trying to navigate her grief but also the public eye that comes with being a streamer. The pressure of performing for an audience, even as she deals with her overwhelming guilt, adds another layer of tension to the narrative. The novel taps into the real-world stress and anxieties that many public figures experience, particularly those who exist in the fast-paced, often unforgiving world of social media and content creation.

As Viv returns to streaming, she decides to focus on horror games, perhaps as a way of externalizing the inner horror she feels on a daily basis. She immerses herself in these dark, terrifying worlds, which serve as a reflection of her own emotional state. The games become an outlet for her grief, offering her a space where she can momentarily escape from the harsh reality of her guilt. However, it is during one of these horror game sessions that something truly strange and terrifying occurs, blurring the lines between the virtual world and Viv's real life.

One fateful evening, while Viv is streaming a particularly eerie horror game, something out of the ordinary happens. An NPC (non-playable character), a character within the game who is usually controlled by the game’s programming, suddenly breaks from its typical script and directly addresses Viv in a way that feels disturbingly real. The NPC asks Viv to reveal a secret, something she has never told anyone. In a moment of weakness, vulnerability, and perhaps desperation, Viv tells the truth about what happened to her sister. She confesses her role in the accident, voicing aloud the guilt that has been eating away at her for so long.

Little does Viv know, this act of confession is not without consequences. By divulging her darkest secret to the NPC, she unknowingly invites something far more sinister into her life—a demonic mimic, a malevolent entity that takes on the form of those it encounters and seeks to exploit their weaknesses. The NPC’s request for a secret was no random in-game event; it was a calculated move by this mimic to gain access to Viv's world. By opening up to the game, Viv unwittingly lets this demonic force into her life, setting off a terrifying chain of events that threatens to consume her.

The introduction of the demonic mimic is where the novel's psychological horror takes a dark and supernatural turn. The mimic begins to invade Viv's reality, manifesting in disturbing ways. At first, its presence is subtle—strange occurrences in her apartment, eerie glitches in the game, a creeping sense that something is watching her from the shadows. However, as time passes, the mimic's influence becomes more pronounced, and Viv begins to lose her grip on reality. She starts seeing her sister's face in reflections, hearing her voice in the static of her streams, and encountering otherworldly occurrences that blur the line between the game and her real life.

Schlote-Bonne expertly builds the tension and suspense throughout the novel, leaving readers on edge as they follow Viv's descent into madness. The mimic, as a metaphor for Viv's guilt, is a chilling and effective narrative device. It feeds on her emotional vulnerabilities, growing stronger the more she succumbs to her feelings of remorse and self-blame. The novel explores the psychological toll of grief and guilt, using the horror genre to externalize Viv's internal struggles in a way that feels both terrifying and emotionally resonant.

As the story progresses, Viv's interactions with the mimic become more intense and dangerous. She finds herself caught in a nightmarish spiral, unsure of what is real and what is part of the mimic's manipulation. The novel delves into themes of identity and self-perception, as Viv struggles to maintain her sense of self in the face of the mimic's constant shape-shifting and deception. The mimic begins to take on the form of people from Viv's past—her sister, her parents, her Twitch followers—distorting their appearances and voices to torment her.

At the heart of "Such Lovely Skin" is the question of whether Viv can escape the mimic’s grasp and find a way to forgive herself for her sister’s death. The novel explores themes of redemption and the idea that, in order to move forward, one must confront the darkness within. Viv’s journey is as much about facing her own guilt as it is about battling the supernatural forces that seek to destroy her.

Tatiana Schlote-Bonne’s writing is atmospheric and haunting, perfectly capturing the eerie, claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in one’s own mind. She deftly balances the supernatural horror elements with the more grounded emotional aspects of Viv’s story, creating a narrative that is both unsettling and deeply affecting. As Viv’s world unravels, readers are drawn into her spiraling sense of dread, unsure of what is real and what is a product of the mimic’s influence.

In the end, "Such Lovely Skin" is a chilling exploration of guilt, grief, and the ways in which our darkest secrets can consume us. Schlote-Bonne masterfully blends psychological horror with supernatural elements to create a gripping and terrifying story that will leave readers questioning the boundaries between reality and the virtual world. Viv’s struggle to escape the mimic’s grasp serves as a powerful metaphor for the emotional demons we all face, making "Such Lovely Skin" not only a horror novel, but a deeply human story about the search for forgiveness and redemption.