Touch by Francine Prose

Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: June 2009
Pages: 272

Synopsis:

What really happened at the back of the bus?

Did they, or didn't they?

Did she, or didn't she?

Something happened to fourteen-year-old Maisie Willard—something involving her three friends, all boys. But their stories don't match, and the rumors spin out of control. Then other people get involved . . . the school, the parents, the lawyers. The incident at the back of the bus becomes the center of Maisie's life and the talk of the school, and, horribly, it becomes news. With just a few words and a touch, the kids and their community are changed forever.

Review:

First off, let me say that I was uber excited when I got this book last week and read it in one sitting. It was really that good. Here's a little about it: Maisie, Shakes, Chris, and Kevin have been friends since birth. While most people think that a young girl having three boys as best friends is weird, to them it's the most natural thing in the world. Until, that is, the year she moves to live with her divorced mom and comes back a little...different. While Maisie's away, she blossoms. She grows boobs. And her old friends are also different; they aren't kids anymore, they're boys. Maisie hopes that things will still be the same, but soon realizes that they will never be again. But things being different is not always bad. While Maisie and Shakes have always had a special bond, feelings go farther and they end up having a secret, and brutally intense, relationship. But one day, when Maisie is betrayed, things take a horrible turn. Maisie tries to ignore it, but the secret's out and soon Maisie cannot tell the difference between the truth and what she makes herself believe happened in the back of the bus.

Touch was a fantastic novel. The writing was easy-flowing and really let me connect with Maisie. She was an extraordinary character that I felt I had a few things in common with. Not only was this book well written, but it also had an (as you can tell) incredible plot and moral behind it. It is the story of a girl who must deal with the manipulation of trauma. Now, I'm going to stop there because I know that I'll get carried away and end up telling you all about how the book ended. All in all, it was a fantastic novel that read easily and really made me connect with the main character.

Cover:

I like the feeling of this cover and how it tells the story. It definitely did draw me to the book, but I realized after I read it that it didn't completely go with the story. It made it quite obvious that Maisie would never be the type of girl to wear a skirt, especially since she "enhanced". Am I being picky? I don't know. That was my first thought when I closed the book and glanced at the cover. No matter, it still doesn't change my opinion.

Characters-9/10
Plot-9/10
Writing-8/10
Originality- 7/10
Cover- 10/10
Overall-43/50

-Kaitlyn
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