Lower East Side, New York City, 1999. Fresh from teenage homelessness, Charmay-a street-smart, trauma-bruised, velvet-voiced singer-wants more than survival. By night she becomes Cindy, the seductive armor that protects her-and threatens to take over. By day she pours truth into song, turning pain to power. Across two turbulent years-slipping from past to present-in the city's underground, three forces converge: producer Eddie Cruise hears fire in her voice and pushes her raw; Sam Black-the Miami-raised son of Cuban exiles-earns her trust, but his vendetta against a privileged partner draws danger; Rex Raven-a Wall Street financier who wants Cindy, not Charmay-opens glittering doors-and traps. Family ties pick old wounds. Hustles collide. Masks switch places. Chaos ricochets. Beats. Bullets. Bedsheets. By the final chorus, Charmay must decide: cling to the mask that kept her alive-or claim the voice that could set her free. Honest, tense, and compassionate, Skinless is a psychological portrait of a woman fighting to overcome trauma's scars-and learning that healing begins within. Second Edition, Expanded and Revised. For readers of The Bell Jar, Just Kids, and literary noir.
