"Touched" by Susan-Jane Harrison

Description

In Touched, by Susan Jane Harrison, the year is 2054. In a crowded City with a conversely dwindling birth rate, physical contact is now taboo. Pharmaceutical scientist Dr. Rose Vantimitta negotiates a train packed with people. Her back practically welded to the front of the man behind her, Rose distances herself from sensation. A woman whose limited tactile experience encompasses contact with lab anemones, Rose fails to recognize her need for human contact. Unlike Rose, Marcus Anaranjado’s passion for his work has brought his longing for normalized interaction to the fore. A Professor of Anthropology and an immigrant to the City, Marcus has recently lost his job. Transgressions include: meeting with students face to face and shaking hands during lectures. Pretending to his only friend Sam that he is still employed, Marcus is amazed to discover that his sex-averse friend has found platonic solace in a virtual girlfriend. As Marcus pursues his need for connection, he becomes aware of Rose’s noisy presence in the flat above. His determination to confront his neighbor regarding the noise issue results in a charge of Unwanted Physical Contact. Trapped by a compassionately intended system of law, unexpected intimacy grows between Rose and Marcus, as they work together to avoid disaster.

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