Touch, by Claire North
Book Review by SJ Higbee
Have you read this book?
I've been a major fan of this author during her incarnation as Kate Griffin, but I was blown away last year by her first Claire North book The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, which is on the literary end of the fantasy genre and is simply remarkable. Would I find Touch as impressive?
He tried to take my life. Instead, I took his. It was a long time ago. I remember it was dark, and I didn't see my killer until it was too late. As I died, my hand touched his. That's when the first switch took place. Suddenly, I was looking through the eyes of my killer, and I was watching myself die. Now switching is easy. I can jump from body to body, have any life, be anyone. Some people touch lives. Others take them. I do both.
So there you have it. The premise is that there are a few individuals out there who can inhabit a body with a simple touch, skin on skin. And we're right alongside Kepler as he comes under a sudden, shocking attack. The book takes us on a tension-filled adventure as he struggles to discover exactly who is stalking him and why. It would be an intriguing page-turner if it was a straight thriller. But, this being North, it also becomes far more than that.
She takes us inside the mind of Kepler in the first person viewpoint. We learn the origins of his current existence and throughout the book, we also learn of how and when he jumped. And details of his career as an estate agent. No... he wasn't busy selling houses -- he was checking out suitable hosts for the scattered community of others like him. They mostly wanted people who were young, healthy and rich -- or those down on their luck willing to agree to donate a slice of their life to come out the other end drug-free with a lump sum in their bank account...
These insights intersperse the main narrative -- a roller-coaster chase in which Kepler is both pursued and pursuer as he tried to unravel exactly who is behind the attack on him. I can't say too much more without straying into spoiler territory, which in a classy thriller of this caliber would be little short of wicked -- suffice to say that after you've read it, a certain catchphrase will send a shiver up your spine. By any measure, this book is worth reading -- both as a slice of escapist adventure and as an examination on the human condition. So once more, North has nailed it. This prolific and multi-talented author has already racked up an impressive back catalog and is still only in her 20's.
He tried to take my life. Instead, I took his. It was a long time ago. I remember it was dark, and I didn't see my killer until it was too late. As I died, my hand touched his. That's when the first switch took place. Suddenly, I was looking through the eyes of my killer, and I was watching myself die. Now switching is easy. I can jump from body to body, have any life, be anyone. Some people touch lives. Others take them. I do both.
So there you have it. The premise is that there are a few individuals out there who can inhabit a body with a simple touch, skin on skin. And we're right alongside Kepler as he comes under a sudden, shocking attack. The book takes us on a tension-filled adventure as he struggles to discover exactly who is stalking him and why. It would be an intriguing page-turner if it was a straight thriller. But, this being North, it also becomes far more than that.
She takes us inside the mind of Kepler in the first person viewpoint. We learn the origins of his current existence and throughout the book, we also learn of how and when he jumped. And details of his career as an estate agent. No... he wasn't busy selling houses -- he was checking out suitable hosts for the scattered community of others like him. They mostly wanted people who were young, healthy and rich -- or those down on their luck willing to agree to donate a slice of their life to come out the other end drug-free with a lump sum in their bank account...
These insights intersperse the main narrative -- a roller-coaster chase in which Kepler is both pursued and pursuer as he tried to unravel exactly who is behind the attack on him. I can't say too much more without straying into spoiler territory, which in a classy thriller of this caliber would be little short of wicked -- suffice to say that after you've read it, a certain catchphrase will send a shiver up your spine. By any measure, this book is worth reading -- both as a slice of escapist adventure and as an examination on the human condition. So once more, North has nailed it. This prolific and multi-talented author has already racked up an impressive back catalog and is still only in her 20's.
She is an outstanding talent, who goes on getting better with every book. I can't wait to see what she will next produce.
More SJ Higbee Here
More SJ Higbee Here
|
Click here to buy Touch, by Claire North on Amazon
|
Touch, by Claire North on Amazon
| More Books You Might Like |
Comment on Touch, by Claire North
| Comments on Touch, by Claire North |
| There are no comments on this book. |
