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A review by danskireads
Out Of Touch by Michael Sarais
4.0
There’s a full-throated love story at the heart of this book, but don’t be lulled into thinking this is a simple romance. It’s far from it.
This book is not a light read. The trigger warning list is long. This is a book about dealing with trauma, dealing with degenerative disease, and dealing with the impacts of these unfairnesses (and others) on people’s lives. It deals with some very heavy stuff. Please read the trigger warning if you’re likely to be affected by anything.
To the story. It starts with two exchange students who connect online through a mutual friend and fall for each other. It starts out very sweet (evil exchange mother aside) but then the author starts dropping pebbles into the water… and that’s where things really take a turn (or five).
The author has bitten off a lot here, and he’s weaved quite the globetrotting story. It meanders across countries and continents and a dozen years. The scale is huge. So it’s a credit to his skill that he’s achieved so much intimacy in the story told. That’s no easy feat.
It’s also entertaining. There are moments of levity to balance out the dark, there are moments of sweetness and of romance, and there are moments of joy. Teddy and Vincent are very likable and it’s easy to get invested in them and their relationship. I was literally slapping my forehead at various points, as they made terrible decisions that kept them from what their hearts really wanted.
But, make no bones about it, this book will leave you emotionally shattered. At times, it was a bit much for me. That’s not really about the text, that’s about me the reader, but it is why I’m urging you to take the trigger warnings seriously and to go in with your loins girded if need be.
Thank you to the author for generously providing me with an ARC of this book. That’s got to be a nerve-wracking thing and I very much appreciate him trusting a total stranger from Instagram.
This book is not a light read. The trigger warning list is long. This is a book about dealing with trauma, dealing with degenerative disease, and dealing with the impacts of these unfairnesses (and others) on people’s lives. It deals with some very heavy stuff. Please read the trigger warning if you’re likely to be affected by anything.
To the story. It starts with two exchange students who connect online through a mutual friend and fall for each other. It starts out very sweet (evil exchange mother aside) but then the author starts dropping pebbles into the water… and that’s where things really take a turn (or five).
The author has bitten off a lot here, and he’s weaved quite the globetrotting story. It meanders across countries and continents and a dozen years. The scale is huge. So it’s a credit to his skill that he’s achieved so much intimacy in the story told. That’s no easy feat.
It’s also entertaining. There are moments of levity to balance out the dark, there are moments of sweetness and of romance, and there are moments of joy. Teddy and Vincent are very likable and it’s easy to get invested in them and their relationship. I was literally slapping my forehead at various points, as they made terrible decisions that kept them from what their hearts really wanted.
But, make no bones about it, this book will leave you emotionally shattered. At times, it was a bit much for me. That’s not really about the text, that’s about me the reader, but it is why I’m urging you to take the trigger warnings seriously and to go in with your loins girded if need be.
Thank you to the author for generously providing me with an ARC of this book. That’s got to be a nerve-wracking thing and I very much appreciate him trusting a total stranger from Instagram.