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Skin Contact
- Author
- Elisa Faison
- Narrator
- various
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Publish Date
- 9 June 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 49 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Ada Calhoun, author of Crush
Unmoored by her mother's sudden death, Frances has never felt so diminished, so lost, or so old. She's painfully aware that strangers no longer look at her the same way - and that she's now, at thirty-two, older than the great aunt for whom she was named, who was killed in the seventies under mysterious circumstances involving an extramarital affair.
Her husband, Ben, will do anything to help Frances regain her vivacity and sense of purpose. So when Frances suggests that they open their marriage, Ben complies.
Over the next two years, they explore their sexualities and latent kinks; they navigate jealousy, betrayal, desire, and obsession; they defend their choices - and their new identities - to confused friends. They do all of this together, as a team. But when Ben finds himself falling in love with another woman, just as Frances realizes she's ready to settle down and have a baby, they are forced to confront the consequences of their experiment.
Critics Review
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Elisa Faison's enthralling and unflinching Skin Contact gives us an intimate view of an intricately bound cast of characters, finding the hidden places where the real story lies. Shifting between the emptiness and uncertainty of loss along with the frightening and enthralling sensation of discovery, Faison has crafted a story that surprises us with its honesty, its passion, and its intensity.
Kevin Wilson, author of NOTHING TO SEE HERE
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Sexy and self-assured, Skin Contact is irresistible. While exploring the boundaries of desire and fidelity, Elisa Faison's characters ask big questions about the choices we make and how to negotiate what's beyond our control
Ada Calhoun, author of CRUSH
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A book that's all hot and bothered, examining intimacy, fidelity, sexuality and motherhood with a backdrop of grief. It explores a network of desire, with peripheral characters intercepting the narrative to take centre stage as they share their own slice of sexy, complicated life in chapters that feel akin to short stories. Deeply readable, this will be the hottest sluttiest book of the summer
Alice Slater, author of LET THE BAD TIMES ROLL
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A grieving woman opens her marriage after the death of her mother. It goes mostly well - until her husband falls in love with someone else
New York Times
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Skin Contact is acute and witty on female desire
Financial Times
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At the outset of this funny and pensive novel, Frances, a married woman, tells her husband, Ben, that she "sort of" has a crush on a waitress-thereby kicking off their open marriage. She and Ben soon discover the joys of sleeping with other people, both together and separately. For Frances, who is thirty, the experiment is, at first, a way to help her cope with the grief of losing her mother. Then, just as she is realizing that she might want to have a child, Ben falls in love with another woman. Torn between a life that might seem "frivolous" and one that feels "flattening," the couple have to decide what, for them, is the right path
New Yorker
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A smart, involving debut written with an empathy and insight that ensures it never feels passé . . . Faison's narrative moves freely in time, and between perspectives, as she pursues themes including ageing, motherhood and loss, taking in everything from the marital sacrifices made by earlier generations to the sensual deprivation imposed by lockdowns during Covid
Daily Mail
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A fresh take on making marriage work in the modern age . . . Told through a variety of perspectives, readers gain a front-row seat to the beginning of Frances and Ben's relationship, while also hearing from some of the lovers they bring into their current dynamic. For fans of The Fates and Furies, Gunk or Perfection, this multi-narrative is one not to miss
Marie Claire
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Faison tackles her subject without peremptory judgments or ideological baggage, creating a contemporary romance that's sexy and melodramatic. Yet it's anchored by a convincing emotional landscape, with astute portrayals of psychological armour and vulnerability that keep you invested in the characters.
Sydney Morning Herald
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A kaleidoscopic exploration of polyamory with the experiences of a young intellectual couple at its center...The novel is at its best when examining the intersection of Frances' grief and her romantic life-and how that creates shrapnel through her marriage-and its understanding of all the different versions of ourselves that make up our experiences as lovers. A clever and zippy first novel
Kirkus
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Skin Contact is so much more than a sharply observed portrait of a marriage, though it is that too. This novel sharply observes us: our petty thoughts and hidden lusts, our late-night fantasies and deepest hopes, all on display, laid loving yet unflinchingly bare. Faison has created a vibrant cast of characters, with each point-of-view richly developed yet effortlessly engaging. This book is the party of the year and I wanted to join in, opening the next door and the next, getting a bit more gossip, sharing just one more story, stealing one more kiss. An absolute knockout of a debut.
Gwen Kirby, author of SHIT CASSANDRA SAW
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The ripple effects of Miranda July's hugely successful All Fours can be seen in several debuts this year that address sex, desire and monogamy . . . In Elisa Faison's Skin Contact, a 30-something couple try out an open marriage
BBC
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Elisa Faison's debut novel will captivate you: lucid prose, delicious sexual tension, bursts of heartbreaking intimacy. I loved these characters, their stories, this book!
Jean Chen Ho, author of FIONA AND JANE
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Faison's assured debut explores the ripple effect of a couple's decision to open their marriage. . . Faison cleverly mirrors the phases of the couple's open relationship with shifts in tone, moving from sexy and exciting to increased emotional intensity and vulnerability. Readers will find it an intimate and insightful story of modern romance
Publishers Weekly
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A young married couple decides to open their marriage, only to find the experiment has led them to drastically different conclusions - and contradictory future plans. We've heard this story before (in print and from friends), but what elevates this take is Faison's own clear-eyed and sensitive prose
Boston Globe
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Elisa Faison
- Narrator
- various
- Duration
- 8 hours 49 minutes
- Release Date
- 9 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399748629
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Narrative theme: love / relationships, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Short stories
Synopsis
'Sexy and self-assured, Skin Contact is irresistible' Ada Calhoun, author of CrushUnmoored by her mother's sudden death, Frances has never felt so diminished, so lost, or so old. She's painfully aware that strangers no longer look at her the same way - and that she's now, at thirty-two, older than the great aunt for whom she was named, who was killed in the seventies under mysterious circumstances involving an extramarital affair.Her husband, Ben, will do anything to help Frances regain her vivacity and sense of purpose. So when Frances suggests that they open their marriage, Ben complies.Over the next two years, they explore their sexualities and latent kinks; they navigate jealousy, betrayal, desire, and obsession; they defend their choices - and their new identities - to confused friends. They do all of this together, as a team. But when Ben finds himself falling in love with another woman, just as Frances realizes she's ready to settle down and have a baby, they are forced to confront the consequences of their experiment.
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