Touch [Hardcover]

Francine Prose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2009

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.

From nationally acclaimed author Francine Prose comes an unforgettable story about the difficulties of telling the truth, the consequences of lying, and the most dangerous twist of all—the possibility that you yourself will come to believe something that you know isn't true.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Maisie has always been best friends with three boys in her class, including Shakes, who has mild cerebral palsy. In ninth grade, though, things change after she grows huge breasts, and she and Shakes start to explore each other’s bodies in the back of the school bus. Then, their two buddies join in and grope Maisie. Afterward, false rumors spread at school that Maisie asked her friends to find other guys who would pay money in exchange for touching her, and Maisie’s stepmom sues the school board. Caught by Maisie’s immediate first-person narrative, readers will race through the story, only to wonder, in the end, if they missed what really happened. Did the boys grope Maisie? Did she want them to? But readers will realize that the ambiguity is part of the story: “the whole question of what’s true, what’s a lie, what you think, what you say, and what you start to believe.” Maisie’s sessions with a therapist feel a bit purposeful, but her anger, hurt, and sexual awakening are riveting, as are all the novel’s big questions about harassment and every incident’s multiple versions of the truth. Grades 10-12. --Hazel Rochman

Review

“A nuanced meditation on how stories of abuse can confuse and obscure the truth...Prose’s (Bullyville) adept narration and shunning of easy answers will hold readers’ interest. ” (Publishers Weekly )

“[Maisie’s] anger, hurt, and sexual awakening are riveting, as are all the novel’s big questions about harassment and every incident’s multiple versions of the truth.” (Booklist (starred review) )

“An incisive and compelling novel... Readers will be fascinated by this convincing tale and the questions that it raises, from its gripping first chapter to its poignant and surprising conclusion.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

“Caught by Maisie’s immediate first-person narrative, readers will race through the story...Riveting.” (Booklist (starred review) )

“Prose keeps capable control of Maisie’s voice...Middle schoolers attempting to negotiate the same territory will appreciate this chance to narratively explore some of its troubling regions.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1 edition (June 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061375179
• ISBN-13: 978-0061375170
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Francine Prose is the author of sixteen books of fiction. Her novel A Changed Man won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and Blue Angel was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her most recent works of nonfiction include the highly acclaimed Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife, and the New York Times bestseller Reading Like a Writer. A former president of PEN American Center, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Francine Prose lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Touching Story for Teens, November 16, 2009

By 

Kamagi (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Touch (Hardcover)

Forgive the pun in the title, but I think the title of the book, "Touch" has a lot of meaning to it, to what the book is about, and to how it feels to read it. Touching.

This is the story of a girl, Maisie (but it could be any girl), who has to deal with issues that every girl must face. The issue of growing up, of watching friends change before your very eyes, of watching your own body change into something you can barely recognize. Because that's what happens. Nobody even really realizes the moment when other boys and girls start to lose their cooties. Suddenly girls/boys aren't icky, they're fascinating. This story is about that. It's about four friends who grow up and realize that they aren't friends but three boys and a girl. And as the four of them struggle to understand that, they take steps and make mistakes that (unfortunately) affect them for the rest of their lives.

I loved the characters. Kevin and Chris, two of Maisie's friends, didn't really have personalities but they had an important role in the novel. The rest of the characters are amazing, even if you hate most of them as Maisie does. Maisie is a girl who could be any ninth-grade girl, dealing with problems that too many people have to face (losing friendship, divorce, and touching). Shakes was also amazing. I'm not sure why I liked him so much, considering what he did. Maybe because Maisie liked him so much. And while Kevin and Chris had, in a way, chosen to separate themselves, Maisie lost Shakes because of circumstances. And it hurt me as much as it hurt Maisie to see him drift away.

This book reads very quickly. It may be some 300-odd pages, but it goes by fast because the pace is constant, never slowing. The story is told as a retelling most of the time, so it feels as if Maisie is sitting down and telling you everything (which, I'm sure, is how it's supposed to read). I was so desperate to know what happens that I had to resist the urge to skip pages just to learn if everything would turn out all right. And in a way, the ending was better than it could have been, but still was very realistic. Given the circumstances, you know from the beginning that there's no way to have a perfect, happy ending. Maisie knows that too.

In the end, it was a quick read, but meaningful with no wasted space. I finished the book and thought about it for some time afterwards, so I know it left an impression. Especially if you're a teenage girl like myself (or maybe even a guy) you'll identify with this book in a lot of ways.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Had potential but . . ., July 3, 2009

By 

Avery Wade - See all my reviews

This review is from: Touch (Hardcover)

While I agree that this is a timely book and something a lot of girls (and guys) deal with, I was neither shocked nor engrossed by this book. There is way too much exposition and the voice isn't strong enough to pull me along. I found myself skimming huge portions and flipping to the end just to see if I was right about the denouement--which I was.

I think the trouble is that this doesn't sound like a 16-yo girl. It sounds like a highly literate adult trying to sound like a teenager. Don't get me wrong: the voice is always grammatically correct and there are some beautiful passages here. I am not trying to imply that teenagers don't understand grammar or how to write. But there is a difference between reading literary fiction written by a highly skilled adult and literate fiction told in a voice that sounds authentic. Try reading this for a few chapters, and then go pick up Jay Asher's THIRTEEN REASONS WHY or almost anything by Laurie Halse Anderson (except PROM) to understand the difference.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very heavy, October 22, 2009

By 

Lindsey Miller "Lindsey's Library" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Touch (Hardcover)

Prose does an excellent job of handling what is likely to be considered a difficult topic to address in young adult literature. Even though the main character is 14 and books featuring 14 year olds are typically read by 10-14 year olds, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone younger than 14.

The aspects of Maisie's life regarding growing up, trying to find independence with two separate sets of parents, and her changing body are explored with tact and honesty, but everything involving `the incident' takes it from about 10mph to 70mph in no time flat. There is a level of ambiguity about the incident that plays up the story overall in an interesting way. However, personally I didn't enjoy reading the book, but I suppose that's not necessarily the point. I commend Prose on her courage in addressing difficult issues like sexual harassment and her honesty regarding all parties surrounding them.

-Lindsey Miller, [...]