Touch Me (novel)
 | |
| Author | James Moloney |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Peter Evans |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | University of Queensland Press |
Publication date | 2000 |
| Pages | 243 pp |
| ISBN | 0-7022-3151-7 |
| OCLC | 45151610 |
| LC Class | PZ7.M7353 To 2000 |
Touch Me (2000) is a novel written by award-winning Australian author James Moloney.
It was published in April 2000 by University of Queensland Press, an Australian publishing company.
Plot
Summary appearing on the 2000 paperback edition:
For Xavier McLachlan, Rugby is life. Winning a 1st XV jersey means everything... Until he meets Nuala Magee. Has there ever been a girl like her?
She's feisty, she's troubled, she's dangerous. What will his mates think? Does he even care? Everything looks different now. Xavier McLachlan is in love.
Copyright James Moloney 2000. [1]
Touch Me tells the story of a young Australian named Xavier McLachlan, who is in his final year of high school. A keen sportsman, his aim for the year is to be selected in the school Rugby team and help his friends and team mates win the first premiership in twenty years. All is going according to plan until he meets Nuala Magee, an unusual girl with her own agenda; she cross-dresses, and acts in a deliberately confrontational manner towards boys. Xavier is intrigued by her and against the advice of his friends, becomes very close to her, eventually starting a relationship with her. Xavier also befriends a new boy, Alex Murray and this friendship helps Xavier begin to change his ideas about what it means to be a man. The tension between Xavier and his friends begins to isolate him and when he betrays Nuala out of weakness, and a tragedy befalls Alex Murray, he is faced with difficult decisions about who he is and what he holds most dear.
Characters
Xavier McLachlan - The main character of the story, he is often called "Xave" for short.[2] Tall and good-looking, he is a teenage footballer who always strives to win in every game. He lives with his parents and two sisters, Felicity and Mary Ellen,[3] and attends St. Matthews College, an all-boys school in a large Australian city.
Nuala "Boong" Magee - An unusual and rather unsettling girl whom Xavier meets at a train station and finds interesting.
Alex Murray - A keen and thoughtful student who Xavier befriends and who helps him find out more about Nuala.
Brother Allbecker - the Deputy Principal at Xavier's school who provides useful advice and encouragement to him.
Ben Preston - the St Matthew's Rugby Coach brought in by the Old Boys Association especially to win the premiership. He is 'old school' and loses sight of responsibility to the boys in his care.
Scott Watson - St Matthew's football team captain and Xavier's best friend until events between himself and Nuala cause them to fight..
Issues and themes
- Coming of age
- Guilt
- Sportsmanship
- Interpersonal relationship
- Loyalty
- Bullying
- Death
- Emotional trauma
- Betrayal
- Stereotypes
- Identity
Awards and nominations
- Won the Victorian Premier's Prize (Premier's Literary Awards) in 2001.
- Won the Herald Sun prize for Young adult fiction.
- Shortlisted for Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award 2001.