Are You Afraid to Touch?
What if you were born with an
allergy that would not allow you to touch another human being? And they could not touch you? How would you
survive? How could you participate within
society? In Colleen Oakley’s novel Close Enough to Touch her main character Jubilee Jenkins lives with these issues. Can one truly understand this journey?
“Jubilee Jenkins has a rare condition: She's
allergic to human touch. After a nearly fatal accident, she became reclusive,
living in the confines of her home for nine years. But after her mother dies,
Jubilee is forced to face the world - and the people in it - that she's been
hiding from.
Jubilee finds safe haven at her local library, where she gets a
job. It's there she meets Eric Keegan, a divorced man who recently moved to
town with his brilliant, troubled adopted son. Eric is struggling to figure out
how to be the dad - and man - he wants so desperately to be. Jubilee is unlike
anyone he has ever met, yet he can't understand why she keeps him at arm's
length. So Eric sets out to convince Jubilee to open herself and her heart to
everything life can offer, setting into motion the most unlikely love story of
the year.” (Amazon)
My Thoughts:
I loved this story! It
was well narrated! I listened to it as
an audio book and felt transported to another world. I also loved that the main character worked
for a library, although I don’t think a library would stay open in a
blizzard. I have always said that there
is always a little truth in fiction. The
truth explored here is Jubilee’s allergy to touch and how she comes to live in
the world around us. While many people
may have an illness, it does not mean that they need to be excluded from
community or just being around other people.
Sometimes it also takes courage from the person who has the illness to
reach out especially if they have been rejected in the past.
On a side note I hope that people will learn from Jubilee’s
story and not be afraid to serve those in need.
Preorder a copy of Colleen’s next novel You Were There Too here.
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