Don't Touch

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Author(s)

Rachel M Wilson

Publisher

HarperTeen

Genre(s)

Age Range

14+

Release Date

September 02, 2014

ISBN

978-0062220936

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Step on a crack, break your mother's back, Touch another person's skin, and Dad's gone for good . . . Caddie has a history of magical thinking—of playing games in her head to cope with her surroundings—but it's never been this bad before. When her parents split up, Don't touch becomes Caddie's mantra. Maybe if she keeps from touching another person's skin, Dad will come home. She knows it doesn't make sense, but her games have never been logical. Soon, despite Alabama's humidity, she's covering every inch of her skin and wearing evening gloves to school. And that's where things get tricky. Even though Caddie's the new girl, it's hard to pass off her compulsions as artistic quirks. Friends notice things. Her drama class is all about interacting with her scene partners, especially Peter, who's auditioning for the role of Hamlet. Caddie desperately wants to play Ophelia, but if she does, she'll have to touch Peter . . . and kiss 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. From rising star Rachel M. Wilson comes a powerful, moving debut novel of the friendship and love that are there for us, if only we'll let them in.

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July 22, 2015

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Mental diseases, as I probably said before, is not my favorite thing to witness or read about. Caddie, the main character of DON'T TOUCH, has an anxiety disorder. She doesn't like it whenever she touches someone's skin (actual skin to skin contact) and will have a panic attack when someone does touch her skin. She covers up from neck to toe, making sure that there will be no accidental contact.

(Also, Ophelia is a character in one of Shakespeare's play. She is played by Caddie in her school's play. I have never read or seen the play, but from some fast checking on Wikipedia, I know a little bit about HAMLET. Think of this paragraph as a disclaimer.)

First of all, Caddie is an amazing character. She struggles with her obsession to never touch a person's skin. After father's abandonment, Caddie's anxiety disorder has gotten worse and worse. She extremely dislikes her condition, and whenever she tries to get over it, the obsession bounces back and hits it where it hurts. Reading about Caddie's amazing and internal struggle is difficult at times, but Caddie's bravery and determination strikes a chord in me.

Second of all, DON'T TOUCH has a wonderful cast of characters. Each of them are cool in their own way. Peter, especially, is amazing. Each character is understanding once they learn of Caddie's problems, and they help her deal with it. The supporting cast is brilliantly written and remains stunningly positive for Caddie's determination to overcome her anxieties.

The romance between Caddie and Peter is exhilarating to read about. Caddie refuses to touch Peter, even though she wants to. Peter wishes to touch her, but he respects Caddie's wishes. It is a strange romance, like watching two oppositely charged magnets trying to get close to each other. But they can't meet, because there is a barrier. Despite the lack of physical actions, the romance is beautiful and the connection blows me away.

The plot is well-defined, and each part of the book is paced perfectly. I can't help but read the book (and annoy my friends because I refuse to take eyes off of it) until the very end. The ending is highly satisfying, and Caddie's journey doesn't reach her end. No, she is at the beginning, which is filled with a lot of hope for the future.

Overall, DON'T TOUCH is an awesome YA Contemporary novel with a touch of William Shakespeare. It has an unique narrator whose internal struggles will empathize with readers. DON'T TOUCH is best for those who love watching a character overcome her fears.

Rating: Four out of Five

Alison Hong, Staff Reviewer and Tumblr Manager Top 50 Reviewer 125 reviews

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Loved this book

December 10, 2014

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Caddie’s starting a new school, one that geared toward the arts, and if starting a new school wasn’t pressure enough, her parents have temporarily separated. This leads to a game Caddie plays, don’t touch. Don’t touch another person’s skin or dad will never come home. Don’t let anyone touch her skin or mom will get hurt. Everything is riding on her not touching and not allowing touch. This interferes with her dream of being an actress, and getting cast as Ophelia for the school play. Peter, auditioning for Hamlet, just might be the person most likely to ruin her game and change everything.

The concept of this book really intrigued me but also made me nervous. Would it be handled sensitively? Would it be pushed aside for romance? Would it have a lasting effect? Once I started, my fears disappeared. It was clear the author knew how to handle the subject of OCD, it wouldn’t be treated as some plot device.

It was impossible not to feel for Caddie. She was this smart, mature, determined young woman who was very aware that the “games” she played and her fear of touch were not common and likely didn’t matter in the end, but there was always that what if in her head. What if she did touch someone then something bad happened? It would be her fault for breaking her rules. Her anxiety any time someone came close to a touch was suffocating. It made my chest hurt. There were many times she could have told someone about Don’t Touch to explain why she would jerk away from a friend or react unfavorably to a surprise touch – even through clothes, but telling was a huge risk and I understood why she wouldn’t take it. Telling could have meant losing her friends, telling could have meant breaking a rule, telling could have meant someone not taking it seriously. I also loved that we saw Caddie make some progress then take a few steps back and all the signs that it wasn’t something that would just go away forever and never come back. I really appreciated the fact that while it was obvious to the reader that Caddie had OCD, it wasn’t the only thing about her that was focused on. She had friends, she had school, she had a family, she had dreams, she had a life.

Friendships were a huge part of the story. In particular, Caddie and Mandy, who were reconnecting after Mandy switched schools a few years earlier and now they were both at the same school again. Mandy was so sweet and supportive but also had her own issues to work through. Mandy’s group of friends welcomed Caddie easily and she fit in really well. Livia and Hank were hilarious, especially together, Oscar took some time to grow on me but he was a good job – just a bit oblivious, Mandy’s boyfriend Drew could be sweet but his anger was also a little scary. Then there was Peter, sweet Peter. The dynamic between him and Caddie was brilliant. I could go from smiling at their banter to panic that he was too close and might touch her in a second.

Throughout the plot, the group of friends were auditioning and then rehearsing for Hamlet. The audition scenes, rehearsals, backstage drama, the play were all part of the book and it was a lot of fun to read.

This was a book that will definitely stick with me and I’m definitely adding this author to my watch list.