''Mygale'' is a crime sci-fi thriller novel by Thierry Jonquet, first published in France by Editions Gallimard in 1984, and then in the United States in 2003 by City Lights. Its English translation was also published by

Serpent's Tail Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Book ...

in the United Kingdom and North America in 2005 as ''Tarantula'', and it has also been released under the title ''The Skin I Live In'', the title of

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narra ...

's film of the same name, which was inspired by the novel.

Plot

Richard Lafargue is a renowned plastic surgeon keeping a young woman, "Eve", locked against her will in his villa. Alex Barny, a wanted fugitive after robbing a bank, decides to change the look of his face in order to avoid capture. He contacts Lafargue about the procedure and arranges to meet at his home. Another story surrounding a young man named Vincent Moreau is also told via first person narrative. After raping Lafargue's daughter (resulting in her mental and emotional deterioration), Vincent is captured and imprisoned by the plastic surgeon. At first, Vincent doesn't know the identity of his captor, but discovers it after suffering a series of brutal and twisted acts of torture. Eventually, it is revealed that "Eve" is actually Vincent. As both an act of revenge and an attempt to replace the daughter that was destroyed, Lafargue performs a sex change operation on the imprisoned Vincent, and forces him to live as his wife. Throughout the story, Vincent struggles with the horror of what was done to him and the erasure of his own identity. He maintains fragments of his personality, and seems to despise Lafargue at times. In the final sequence, Alex arrives at Lafargue's home, but meets Vincent, transformed as Eve. Vincent instantly recognizes Alex as his former criminal accomplice, who was also present during the rape of Lafargue's daughter. During an altercation, Lafargue shoots and kills Alex in front of Vincent. Vincent appears to have given up on holding on to his former identity and desire to escape when he submits to becoming Eve and helps Lafargue cover up the incident.

Reception

The cover of the US release has a

blurb A blurb is a short promotional piece accompanying a piece of creative work. It may be written by the author or publisher or quote praise from others. Blurbs were originally printed on the back or rear dust jacket of a book, and are now also fou ...

from a review from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', calling the book, "An unholy collaboration between Sade and

Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lite ...

, with occasional comic interventions by that honorary Frenchman Jerry Lewis."

Film

''Mygale'' also inspired the 2011 film ''

The Skin I Live In ''The Skin I Live In'' ( es, link=no, La piel que habito) is a 2011 Spanish science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet and Roberto Ál ...

''. The Almodóvar's film "The Skin I Live In"

References

{{reflist 1984 French novels French crime novels French science fiction novels Feminist novels Thriller novels French novels adapted into films Éditions Gallimard books LGBT-related controversies in literature LGBT-related controversies in France Magic realism novels Serpent's Tail books