If you were a fan of the old “Twilight Zone” television series, or if
you simply enjoy modern fantasy, make room on your reading list for
“Touched” by first-time novelist Linda Armstrong-Miller.
As the story opens, we’re introduced to Dr. Matt Green. It’s his first
night on call as an intern in a program that was obviously not his
preference. He has little sympathy for the elderly patients who are
going to die anyway. He can’t save them, so what’s the point? But
his
resentment goes far beyond his patients. He thinks that the doctors
and
nurses actually want to see him fail. This is one angry young man.
Although Matt would prefer to have nothing to do with the elderly black
woman called Grandma, who is unexpectedly transferred into his care, he
can’t escape her haunting eyes or the suspicion that she knows too much
about his past. But it’s not possible that Grandma could know about
the
childhood trauma that has scarred his personality.
As you might expect, Matt cannot escape Grandma for long, and soon
finds
himself forced to confront the painful memories. Through Grandma, Matt
embarks upon a journey of self-discovery, one that takes him beyond his
own painful memories, to a town from the past and indo the lives of
others who have known great suffering.
What I liked best about this novel was the author’s empathy for the
characters. She shows us that Dr. Green is a deeply wounded man who
cannon heal others until he, himself, begins to heal emotionally.
While
the story touches upon many types of conflict: racial biases, treatment
of the elderly, and various degrees of abuse and family dysfunction,
the
author consistently shows great understanding for the complexities of
human relationships. Her characters are the walking wounded, and she
treats them with a gentleness that could only come from Grandma.
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