LA Story

In Jonathan Haskell’s novel, a journalist finds himself — with a little help from Steve Martin

By Lauren Becker
Published: May 1st, 2009 | 10:20am

In Out of My Skin, an unnamed narrator moves from New York to LA. Hestarts writing an article about a guy he meets named Scott, who impersonates Steve Martin for a living. The narrator begins by simply reporting on Scott's life, but he soon finds himself taking on the role of Steve Martin instead of Scott, who leaves town. If the conceit of this excellent third novel by Jonathan Haskell sounds convoluted, just know this: the payoff is worth it.

With his new life intact, the narrator falls in love with Jane, a dancer and wannabe photographer, who knows him completely as Steve Martin. After awhile though, the narrator finds that he's been Steve too long and it's no longer the same thing. The relationship begins to dissipate, and he finds he even starts to resent Steve Martin, who he's never met and doesn't truly know any better then himself. How does he move on with his life?

Haskell writes simply about the lives we live, displaced in a strange alternate universe. It’s to his credit that by the end of the novel, you’ll wish you’d never left.

About the Book

Out of My Skin: A Novel'(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

By: John Haskell

224 pages, $14.00