Touched

by Carolyn Haines

Overview

Conflicts in a small Southern town bubble to the surface in this tale of repression and prophecy, the second book in The Jexville Chronicles trilogy. Sixteen-year-old Mattie comes to Mississippi in the summer of 1926 as a mail-order bride and finds a quiet, deeply religious community wrapped in rigid views of a woman's proper role. When Duncan McVay, the nine-year-old daughter of Jexville's most controversial woman, is struck by lightning while dancing, the townspeople are horrified when she doesn't die but survives-and is given the gift of prophecy. Abused and mistreated by her handsome husband, Mattie defends Duncan. She finds comfort in her friendship with JoHanna and the McVay family, but defying the town has consequences. When a hurricane lashes the area, the townspeople blame Duncan. Action leads to tragedy. For both Mattie and Johanna, the future holds heartache, but ultimately a long-awaited and stunningly executed revenge.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733016964
Publisher:	Good Fortune Farm Refuge
Publication date:	08/15/2022
Series:	The Jexville Chronicles , #2
Pages:	520
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.31(d)

About the Author

Carolyn Haines is the USA Today bestselling author of over 80 books in a number of genres, from cozy mystery to horror and short fiction. In 2020, she was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. She was the recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alabama Library Association and the Mississippi Writer's Guild, the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writing, the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence, as well as the "Best Amateur Sleuth" award by Romantic Times. Haines lives on a farm where she cares for dogs, cats, and horses. She urges everyone to please neuter their companion pets to help cut down on the suffering of unwanted animals.

Editorial Reviews

Haines's fresh and suspenseful second novel (after Summer of the Redeemers) is set in 1926, in the "bleakly ugly" Bible-belt town of Jexville, Miss., where dancing is looked upon as a sin and women are expected to be docile and religious. Sold by her abusive stepfather into a marriage with a cruel and perverted man, 16-year-old Mattie Mills is isolated and lonely until she meets JoHanna McVay and her nine-year-old daughter, Duncan. Independent and assertive, JoHanna scandalizes the hypocritical community and is barely tolerated. When Duncan is hit by lightning after dancing, her survival and subsequent powers of clairvoyance are viewed as signs of the devil by the gossipy townsfolk. Anyone who associates with the McVays is vulnerable to the town's unreasonable fear and hatred. In addition to Mattie, whose marriage has deteriorated into violence and degradation, those who suffer the community's wrath include Floyd, a mildly retarded adult possessing "the trust and wonder of a child," and John Doggett, a writer who loves JoHanna. After a hurricane ravages the area, JoHanna, rightly believing that the superstitious townsfolk will blame her and Duncan for bringing it on, convinces the tightly knit, loving group of outcast friends to flee. Tension mounts to a high pitch as they are pursued and as Mattie and the McVays attempt to rescue Floyd and John, who are held prisoner by the vengeful community. Written with a languid sensuality, this rich and complex work features quirky, fully developed characters involved in an unpredictable story, with Mattie's long-awaited revenge providing a bittersweet but satisfying coda. (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The plot of this novel, a maelstrom of tornadic activity, rivals that of any soap opera; indeed, the characters would feel right at home with Montel Williams or Ricki Lake. It is 1926, and 16-year-old Mattie Mills, sold as a mail-order bride by an abusive stepfather to an equally abusive husband, arrives in a small Mississippi town. She becomes friends with JoHanna McVay, a born-years-too-soon feminist, and her daughter, nine-year-old Duncan, who is able to foresee the future after being struck by lightning. Fed up with JoHanna's behavior over the years and fearful that Duncan's disturbing new talent is the mark of Satan, the townsfolk prove once again that fear and ignorance spawn havoc. This well-written, exciting novel is recommended for most collections.Dorothy S. Golden, Georgia Southern Univ., Statesboro,

Library Journal

In 1926, when 16-year-old Mattie arrives in Jexville, Mississippi, as the mail-order bride of Elikah, the local barber, her only solace from the abusive marriage is the friendship she forms with the McVay family. Mattie is drawn to the high-spirited Will and JoHanna, who have passed on their disdain for a conventional life to their young daughter, Duncan. Duncan survives being hit by lightning and seemingly develops the ability to foretell the future. The unease this causes in the hypocritical citizens of Jexville turns to hatred when several deaths occur and it is believed that Duncan has used supernatural powers to commit murder. Mattie must decide whether to sacrifice her own chance for happiness to ensure the McVays' lives. Not until 20 years pass does Mattie discover the perfect way to revenge herself on her husband. Haines' second novel will appeal to readers looking for an old-fashioned story with chaste sex scenes and only dark hints about Elikah's strange desires; but those looking for three-dimensional, credible characters and better-than-average writing will be disappointed.

Nancy Pearl