Under Their Skin

One autumn, the serene marriage of a Swiss dermatologist to an English WHO leprosy expert is shattered by three intrusions on his Geneva practice: an American violinist marred by a birthmark; a tattooed Japanese gangster; and the doctor's old rival-in-love, now Manhattan's Botox King. Both dark satire and moving love story, this novel confirms the author's far-ranging talents. The Geneva laser clinic of Dr. Roman Micheli enjoys the discreet imperturbability of a Swiss bank—no matter who the patient, Roman is the consummate professional. However, in a spiral of events set in motion by Roman’s high ethical standards and middle-aged vulnerability, his own life starts to unravel below its serene surface. A brilliant young American violinist strides out to the footlights of Victoria Hall stage and wraps the audience into her transcendent music, while Roman strains from his seat to diagnose the purple stain marring her cheek’s beauty. Hers is a life his laser could transform entirely—yet to his consternation, the musician refuses to be "made normal." Meanwhile, his wife’s obnoxious old boyfriend, now Manhattan’s "Botox King" turns up to taunt and threaten Roman’s scrupulous reputation with a string of commercial laser beauty clinics boosted by a less-than-honest insurance gate-keeper holding a grudge against Roman’s success. Like a colorful Greek chorus of images, Roman's Japanese patient seeking tattoo removal glimpses the doctor’s descent from medical Olympus to suffering humanity and in his own peculiar way, contributes to Roman’s Dantean journey from complacent resignation to longing, self-knowledge, and redemption. The threads of good intentions, differing moral codes, and comic misunderstandings intertwine into a moving and satirical look at what lies beneath of the surface of our everyday actions and their unexpected consequences.