In the Skin of a Lion

The most striking aspect of In the Skin of a Lion is its idiosyncratic, nonlinear, kaleidoscopic narrative style. The plot is developed in individual cells that are gradually pieced together to reveal a continuous whole. This narrative phenomenon is echoed by the characters themselves and in the individual plot lines. Most notably, as Patrick discovers Alice’s former identity as the unnamed nun who fell off the viaduct, he perceives that “his own life [is] no longer a single story but part of a mural” (145). Drawing an analogy to the performance of a street-band, he notes how gratifying it is to arrive at “an ending full of embraces after the solos had made everyone stronger, more delineated” (144-45). Single stories transform into history as they’re retold and contextualized within a broader narrative. Nicholas acknowledges this phenomenon when he is reminded of the episode with the nun on the bridge, as he discovers “the pleasure of recall. It is something new to him. This is what history means” (149). Also crucial to the development of this theme is the way the novel’s conclusion ties into its prologue: All these stories lead back to the beginning of a story.