Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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.
Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson, this debut novel from Rachel M. Wilson is a moving story of a talented girl who's fighting an increasingly severe anxiety disorder, and the friends and family who stand by her.
My Thoughts:
Don’t Touch follows a girl named Caddie who has always been a little different. Ever since she was little she’s had a problem with anxiety. Her recent ‘game’ is ‘Touch another person’s skin, and Dad’s gone for good.” But Caddie has took this game a little too far and now she is petrified that something horrible will happen if someone touches her.
While I loved most of the characters (I absolutely adored Mandy, Peter, Livia, and Oscar) I felt a little disconnected with Caddie. But I feel like maybe it was supposed to be that way since Caddie likes to keep people at a distance and not let anyone get close to her. I did feel so sorry for her and watching her struggle with her OCD and anxiety was heart-wrenching but I wish I could have felt more of a connection to her as a person.
The plot was just okay for me, I’ve never been into Shakespeare so the whole play thing wasn’t really my scene but I did enjoy the story outside of the drama stuff. As far as a romance goes, there is a little bit going on but it’s not a huge factor in this book. Yes, Caddie does seem to like Peter and he seems to feel the same way, but you can’t really have much romance when there’s no touching…at all. And the fact that Caddie is so hung up on this rule and its pretty much all she can think about pretty much killed the romance vibe for me.
I know that it kind of seems like I didn’t really enjoy this book based on what I said above, but that’s not the case at all. I really did enjoy reading this book and I think it’s a powerful story about overcoming fear and learning to deal with your problems instead of letting it control your life, I was just hoping to feel more of a connection to Caddie.
