Touch by Alexi Zentner

Genre: Fiction

Date of Publication: April 4, 2011

Memorable Quotation: “There is something about clear nights in the winter, the perfection of snow and ice in the light from the stars and the moon that always reminds me of the existence of God.” (pg. 163)

Similar Titles: The Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman and The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

Lasting Impression: Love the writing style, hate the lack of premise.

Storyline: B-

Pace of Story: B-

Characters: B

Ending: B-

Overall: B-

I almost didn't finish this book.  The story REALLY began to drag about half way through but my rule for reading is if I can get half way through it, I can finish it. This time it was tough because normally, books speed up toward the end but for Touch, it only seemed to slow down.   

The village of Sawgamet is one that has seen much tragedy and hardship in its days, and our narrator Stephen takes us through it all.  The town was originally founded by his grandfather, Jeannot, and with his bare hands he created a house that eventually flourished into a village due to the Gold Rush.  We meet Stephen’s other relatives both from his childhood and adult perspective which gets confusing after a while because Zentner doesn't do much to differentiate the two narrative voices. 

Throughout the entire book, it is unclear as to what the plot of the story was; the only thing keeping my interest is the vivid imagery and the quiet nature of Sawgamet that draws the reader in.  The other thing that frustrated me about this novel was that there was no summary of the novel’s premise, only raving reviews declaring the book as being “haunting” and “full of ghosts haunting the wood,” which lead to me to a false vision of what the novel contained. The prose was beautiful and the characters were eloquent and simple but when there were mentions of ghosts, I was disappointed. 

Although I say a lot of negative comments about Touch, this is a great winter read so if you are looking for something to curl up with and watch the snow fall, this would be a great companion for you.

~Shelly-Beans