The Skin Artist
Literary Fiction
by George Hovis
The morning Bill Becker awakes to find the butterfly tattoo, its wings poised for flight upon his chest, he is aroused and terrified by the itch of new possibilities-and addictions, including Lucy, the tattooed dancer who leads him on a quest for self-understanding. Both Lucy and Bill wrap themselves in new skins of ink, wrought by the same artist, a “shaman” who convinces them that every design will alter their futures.
Exiled from his corporate life and from the failed marriage he left behind in a gated community, Bill journeys through the dark side of Charlotte, North Carolina, where he meets con artists and displaced hillbillies, each of them seeking transformation in the Queen City. Ultimately, Bill confronts the necessity to leave the city in search of his rural roots. There he must come to terms with his estranged family and with the skin he shed many years ago.
REVIEW
5 out of 5
Sometimes life doesn’t take you where you expect to go. This is the story of Bill, whose journey from corporate family man to going in search of his rural, more humble roots I found very powerful. He meets some interesting people along the way, and learns some important truths about himself. Hovis brings the whole story to life, and weaves a captivating tale that will draw the reader in quickly. A powerful story set during a time of great change, seen through the lens of one man’s life.
LEARN MORE
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
George Hovis grew up in rural North Carolina and worked in Charlotte during its boom years of the 1990s. His debut novel, THE SKIN ARTIST, tells the story of Charlotte’s emergence as a “world-class city,” one with deep and often tortured connections to the surrounding hinterlands. THE SKIN ARTIST was nominated for the Sir Walter Raleigh Award and was a Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award. A Pushcart Prize nominee, and recipient of the Denny C. Plattner Award from APPALACHIAN HERITAGE, George’s stories and essays have appeared widely. George currently lives with his wife and their two children in upstate New York, where he is a professor of English at SUNY Oneonta.
