Touch

By: Courtney Maum

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of the acclaimed I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, a satirical and moving novel in the spirit of Maria Semple and Jess Walter about a New York City trend forecaster who finds herself wanting to overturn her own predictions, move away from technology, and reclaim her heart.

Sloane Jacobsen is the most powerful trend forecaster in the world (she was the foreseer of "the swipe"), and global fashion, lifestyle, and tech companies pay to hear her opinions about the future. Her recent forecasts on the family are unwavering: the world is overpopulated, and with unemployment, college costs, and food prices all on the rise, having children is an extravagant indulgence.

So it's no surprise when the tech giant Mammoth hires Sloane to lead their groundbreaking annual conference, celebrating the voluntarily childless. But not far into her contract, Sloane begins to sense the undeniable signs of a movement against electronics that will see people embracing compassion, empathy, and "in-personism" again. She's struggling with the fact that her predictions are hopelessly out of sync with her employer's mission and that her closest personal relationship is with her self-driving car when her partner, the French "neo-sensualist" Roman Bellard, reveals that he is about to publish an op-ed on the death of penetrative sex - a postsexual treatise that instantly goes viral. Despite the risks to her professional reputation, Sloane is nevertheless convinced that her instincts are the right ones and goes on a quest to defend real-life human interaction while finally allowing in the love and connectedness she's long been denying herself.

A poignant and amusing call to arms that showcases her signature biting wit and keen eye, celebrated novelist Courtney Maum's new book is a moving investigation into what it means to be an individual in a globalized world.

©2017 Courtney Maum (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"[A] charming satire." (New York Times Book Review, Paperback Row)

"Irresistible... It’s impressive that Ms. Maum has managed to make a return to old-fashioned family values - and even commonplace acts of physical intimacy - seem daring and subversive. Maybe it will beckon a trend.” (Wall Street Journal)

“A sharp, poignant take on our digitally dependent lives.” (Marie Claire)

Is there hooe?

made me ponder three future through a different set off eyes. I want the car.

I don't know....

It was a good listen, and I did enjoy it. The performance was good, although most of the guy voices sounded like slackers. Voices for the opposite sex are always the sticking point in novel performances, no? Anyway...there were little things that bugged me in the story. When Sloane gets upset about Roman (spoiler alert!) which happens a few times in the book, there will inevitably be a rant that he isn't a trend forecaster. Sloane will have a comment that he doesn't have "the data". But the story never details Sloane getting data either. Her trend forecasting comes from gut instinct and trendy people around the globe she keeps in touch with. It just took me out of the story when I think we were supposed to be thinking, "you go, girl".
Maybe that sounds picky, and it probably is. But that's why my story rating is low, even though overall, as I said, I enjoyed it.

Perfect Summer Listen

I really loved listening to this book, it kept in engaged the entire time and I found the concepts discussed so relevant to the age we live in. I really liked the characters and would love to see a sequel!

Timely and entertaining

This writer makes you love her characters. I never wanted this book to end. It was like I found a new bestie. I laughed out loud and teared up. Great summer read!! Winter read. Anytime read.

Touch... is very Touching and Eye-opening

I loved the way that the author wrote about our further as human kind. It really was eye opening and could be more true than we really know. Maybe be more thoughtful of touching others I love.

Brainy but also indulgent

Would you listen to Touch again? Why?

Great story, very 2017, loved the narrator. I found the main character very relatable.

Excellent

I enjoyed every aspect of her insight, and world class descriptive intelligence. The intimate moments also made me think the author is a heart throb. Instead of giving lectures, she tells stories and at least a few times each chapter I would be brought to tears of laughter. As a male of masculine nature it was all an interesting character study from a perspective I don’t naturally see. It made me think about the world in new ways, and especially confirmed to me that children/families are so dearly important to myself and society.

I was slow to enter this story but soon was living it

Great story. Well written. Inventive. A wonderful summer read. This is an author to follow.