Series: None
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
My Rating: 4 Stars
Summary From Goodreads:
A powerful story of a girl who is afraid to touch another person’s skin, until the boy auditioning for Hamlet opposite her Ophelia gives her a reason to overcome her fears.
Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. Touch another person’s skin, and Dad’s gone for good.
Caddie can’t stop thinking that if she keeps from touching another person’s skin, her parents might get back together... which is why she wears full-length gloves to school and covers every inch of her skin.
It seems harmless at first, but Caddie’s obsession soon threatens her ambitions as an actress. She desperately wants to play Ophelia in her school’s production of Hamlet. But that would mean touching Peter, who’s auditioning for the title role—and kissing him. Part of Caddie would love nothing more than to kiss Peter—but the other part isn't sure she's brave enough to let herself fall.
Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. Touch another person’s skin, and Dad’s gone for good.
Caddie can’t stop thinking that if she keeps from touching another person’s skin, her parents might get back together... which is why she wears full-length gloves to school and covers every inch of her skin.
It seems harmless at first, but Caddie’s obsession soon threatens her ambitions as an actress. She desperately wants to play Ophelia in her school’s production of Hamlet. But that would mean touching Peter, who’s auditioning for the title role—and kissing him. Part of Caddie would love nothing more than to kiss Peter—but the other part isn't sure she's brave enough to let herself fall.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book and its surrounding theme/morals. I was extremely interested when I first read the synopsis, since the main character suffers from anxiety/OCD. While I didn’t truly connect to the characters, I did enjoy them, especially Peter. He just seemed like the cute, nerdy type and was really sweet.
The whole relationship between Drew and Mandy just seemed extraneous to the plot. I didn’t see the purpose for it and found it odd. I also thought it disquieting how no one questioned Caddie’s idiosyncrasies. People inferred about her aversion to being touched and her strange outfit attire but never went further than that. I know in highschool today, if I wore long gloves people would give me judgy looks and ask about them.
The pacing of the plot was fine, although it seemed very centered around the play. Overall, Don’t Touch was a unique read with interesting, diverse characters. I would definitely recommend it to people looking for a contemporary read with Shakespearean aspects.
The whole relationship between Drew and Mandy just seemed extraneous to the plot. I didn’t see the purpose for it and found it odd. I also thought it disquieting how no one questioned Caddie’s idiosyncrasies. People inferred about her aversion to being touched and her strange outfit attire but never went further than that. I know in highschool today, if I wore long gloves people would give me judgy looks and ask about them.
The pacing of the plot was fine, although it seemed very centered around the play. Overall, Don’t Touch was a unique read with interesting, diverse characters. I would definitely recommend it to people looking for a contemporary read with Shakespearean aspects.
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| Rachel Wilson |
She graduated from Northwestern University and holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Rachel grew up in Birmingham, AL, and she currently writes, acts, and teaches in Chicago, IL.
Lovely review, I like the premise of this but it sounds like the execution didn't quite work out as well as it should. I like the Shakespearean aspects though!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have said it any better. It definitely got me interested in Hamlet though! (I haven't read it yet).
DeleteI'm really captivated by the synopsis, and I find stories about OCD to be truly interesting. It sucks to hear you weren't able to connect with the character though. Hope I can pick it up soon.
ReplyDelete- Farah @MajiBookshelf
I really liked the idea of it and the diverse characters, but the way it was put together just didn't work for me. I hope you give it a try though because it is a really unique book! :)
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