Book Review and Giveaway: Close Enough to Touch

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Author: Colleen Oakley
ISBN: 978-1-76029-400-7
RRP: $29.99

Close Enough to Touch is the second novel by Colleen Oakley, and the first I’ve read. I remember hearing about her debut, Before I Go, when it released but never quite got that far.

Her second novel is raw, touching and emotional; and uniquely original. We all know that allergies seem to be getting more prevalent and they can be life-threatening but what about the extremely rare allergies. What would happen if someone were actually allergic to people…

Oakley answers the question in Close Enough to Touch with the story of Jubilee Jenkins; diagnosed as a young child Jubilee has suffered debilitating rashes and reactions that ended up with an anaphylactic reaction to her first kiss; resulting in a reclusive life. Her mother remarries and moves away, leaving Jubilee alone in the house to discover all the things she can do from home. She gets to the point where she doesn’t need to leave the house at all, so she doesn’t. Food is delivered, trash is collected from her doorstep instead of the road, shopping is done online and Jubilee is content in her isolation. Her mother calls occasionally and sends money every month. Everything runs smoothly until she receives a phone call with news of her mother’s death, and that there will be no more cheques but the house is now paid for and belongs solely to Jubilee.

Now that Jubilee has to leave the house to find work she discovers that her reclusive life has turned into a severe case of agoraphobia and she can’t leave the house.

Slowly Jubilee works on getting out and on her first trip to the local gas station she runs into one of the popular girls from high school and in a fortuitous coincidence finds herself employed at the local library.

Close Enough to Touch is the story of Jubilee coming back out into the world and learning to live in it again, 9 years is a long time in isolation and it’s a long time in medicine. Jubilee has learned how dangerous a simple touch can be so even if she is covered up and wearing her gloves she flinches when anyone reaches out to her.

We are with Jubilee every step of her journey, as she learns to interact with people again and becomes comfortable in some places and with people.

The story isn’t only Jubilee’s, it is also the story of Eric and his adopted son Aja, they have moved to the area for 6 months while Eric takes over a maternity position for his firm. Eric is the divorced father of a fourteen year old girl who he has alienated to the point she refuses to speak to him; and the adopted father of 10-yr old Aja, whose father was his best friend. Aja is highly intelligent and troubled, he hasn’t grieved the death of his parents and he is disturbingly fixated on the X-men.

A chance meeting at the library sees their paths cross and a friendship slowly grow.

Oakley has drawn on the seriousness of allergies and the risks sufferers live with every day in creating Jubilee’s allergy, for which there is no scientific evidence of its actual existence.

Close Enough to Touch is a story of learning to live again, of grief and of connecting with other people. How many times in our day to day life do we physically touch another person and totally take it for granted, what would happen if that one touch could be life threatening.

I really enjoyed this book and the depth of feeling Oakley evoked in me for her characters. Physical touch is dangerous for Jubilee and it’s something that Aja is uncomfortable with so we explore the other ways that people can touch one another’s life. Eric is trying to reconnect with his daughter, and he is afforded the opportunity to do so through literature.

The story is witty and entertaining, heartwarming and fascinating. It’s a story of connection, of friendship and of love.

Colleen Oakley can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her Website.

Close Enough to Touch is published by Allen & Unwin and available March 15th from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.

Thanks to Allen & Unwin we have TWO copies of Close Enough to Touch to giveaway to our readers. For your chance to win please tell us in the comments below about the most interesting way someone has touched your life.

Competition closes 20/03/16 midnight AEST. You must be subscribed to the Beauty and Lace newsletter OR a Facebook fan to enter. Make sure you use a valid email address so we can contact you if you are a lucky winner

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23 thoughts on “Book Review and Giveaway: Close Enough to Touch

  1. I am touched daily by the many elderly Patients that are on the Ward where I work in the local Hospital. A small smile from one of them, a Thank You or even a Please makes my day.
    Many of the Patients have Dementia and are scared and don’t know where they are are what is happening to them,
    I feel honored to have met most of them as they have such amazing stories about their lives.

  2. About 15 years ago a friend of mine owned a failing business in Swanston Street, Melbourne. It was putting him in debt so he advertised it for sale. A well-dressed gentleman walked in off the street, inquired about it and watched the business in action all afternoon. He left only to return later with a suitcase saying he wanted to purchase the business. He opened the case asking if $50,000 cash was enough to leave as a deposit. Of course my friend said “Sure is!” The gentleman then left and returned with a stereo system he had purchased at Myer saying the place needed some music. He then left saying he would come back in a few days to finalise the sale. He returned in a couple of days to see how things were going and we got to know him a little better. It turned out that he was a philanthropist who had helped many people. After this we never saw him again, he never returned to finalise the sale of the business and he never even asked for a receipt for the $50,000. He also left no address or contact details. A few months later we were talking to the owner of the bookshop situated a few doors down who had a similar story to tell. The same man had been in their shop and purchased $2,500 worth of books, left no details and never returned! To this day my friend still doesn’t know who he was or why he did it but it certainly helped my friend out of the possibility of having to go bankrupt or worst!

  3. Just by listening and then surprising you later when they recall something that lights up your day it show they really care

  4. Sitting and talking to a homeless person and getting there story of how they came to be that way, some stories just touch your heart so bad knowing they once had everything and now one have anything

  5. Authors have captivated and touched my heart over the years with artistic literary expressionism that encapsulates life, love and friendships while exploring paths near/dear or those we are yet to see.

  6. I’ve been reading everyone’s honest and touching comments, many have made me teary, and also thankful. I want to thank you all for sharing your personal stories here.

  7. My best friend, we have been friends for nearly 40 years, she is always there for me and is like the sister I never had.

  8. The elderly gentleman next door, riddled with aches, pains, illnesses and ailments, poor old thing barely able to walk most days, somehow managed to mow my nature-strip for me, as he saw I had a mere, meager little cold. He has a heart of gold, and this immense gesture on his part touched me in ways I didn’t imagine possible, showing me that there really is still so much goodness in this big, bad world of ours. I just wish he’d have mentioned his intentions to me, so I could get out there and mow mine, along with his, so he didn’t get to do it, and hurt his aching bones even more.

  9. My father has recently entered a nursing home and I love speaking to the residents. They have lots of stories to tell to people who care and willing to listen.

  10. Phobia’s can take hold of our lives and are very hard to overcome. Congratulations to all that have beaten their demons.

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