Touch Book

Meh.

'Touch' treads water for a hundred pages introducing conventional stock American characters who work in media jobs generating publicity for TV talk shows or evangelical or conservative Catholic Church ministry interests. Then the story turns into a series of low-key humorous sketches of romantic and personal upsets despite the book's controversial subject of people who possess magical healing powers. The author, Elmore Leonard, bunted in my opinion.

Thirty-three-year-old Charles Lawson, ex-monk of the Franciscans, bleeds and heals people sometimes. He believes in God, but he has no idea if God is working through him. Basically, there he is just standing around, when sometimes he feels very sorry for someone who is crippled, sick or injured. Sometimes when he feels compassionate, but not always, he will experience stigmata bleeding, and after touching a person that person is healed. He has no control over when or if a healing occurs. Lawson, aka Juvenal, appears to be a naïve virgin, but still he is a self-assured and calm personality, and yet unassuming. He is now working with alcoholics at a community detox center.

Bill Hill witnesses Juvenal cure the blind eyes of a woman. He tries to get an interview with Juvenal after this stunning event, but Juvenal avoids him. So Bill visits his old friend Lynn Faulkner, KMA Records Promotion and Publicity agent, hoping to enlist her to pose as an alcoholic needing to dry out at the detox center. It works and Lynn meets Juvenal, but Lynn discovers Juvenal is a normal, if oddly honest and charismatic, person. They like each other a lot.

August Murray wants the Catholic Church to return to its roots as established in the Middle Ages. He is rigid, judgmental and celibate. As an activist, he intentionally confronts organizations and the police, leading protests, getting himself arrested. However, August cannot get the attention of media no matter what he does. He reads about Juvenal in the local newspaper (a small article about the rumor of stigmata) and he decides Juvenal must be a Saint, thus obviously a celibate holy man like himself. August thinks he must convince Juvenal to join him in his endeavors. Juvenal thinks August is an jerk. August believes Lynn is an evil temptress leading Juvenal into sin, away from God and August. August believes teaching and mentoring Juvenal is his destiny! Game on!

Gentle reader, this novel is one I found particularly to be without much energy or fun. Leonard wanted to explore a situation of miracles performed by an individual without any motives or even interest in his own miracles, as well as a society jaded by overexposure to publicity stunts. But, the author allowed the story to drift into a shallow 30-minute family sitcom with a recorded laugh track.