No Touching

This is undoubtedly provocative and deliberately so as the book takes as its source Descartes' mind/body division and plays it out via the life of a contemporary French woman who teaches philosophy in a school by day and slips into being a pole/lap-dancer by night.

Does it romanticise sex-working? Jo isn't a prostitute, the eponymous 'no touching' rule applies in the bar where she works, though she does do naked lap dances. What is striking is that it's her day job that constricts and oppresses her sense of self; her night job that liberates her both mentally and physically, which enables her to fall in love with her own body, to live fully inside it for the first time, to experience its power and to celebrate its potent agency. Problematic, huh?

I still don't quite know how I feel about this book, and I'm not even sure we're supposed to come down on the side of either mind or body - but I love the complex questions this book is posing for women especially women whose sense of identity is bound up with their intellectual capabilities.

Bold, provocative and stimulating - this is one I want to discuss with all my friends.

I've been really enjoying translated fiction recently and this was translated from french. I believe the original was released last year and won some awards.

I can see why. It's provocative and thought provoking and I love the questions this book poses. The main character is a teacher by day and a lap dancer by night - and the juxtaposition of these two roles is really interesting to read.

A great read!

This book has been described as “A moving story of liberation that shatters tired prejudices about womanhood, sex, and society” so I was intrigued to give it a go. Its the story of Josephine a teacher of philosophy in a school in the suburbs of Paris. Her teenage students are bored and disinterested and she appears to be disillusioned with the sheer mundanity of her day to day existence. All this changes when she walks into a strip club in the Champs-Elysée. Josephine initially decides to become a stripper/dancer almost to see if she can do it, as its a world away from her humdrum daily life. Soon she’s buying seductive lingerie, high heels and make up for her nighttime job as Rose Lee. During her time at the club Rose Lee comes across an A-Z of male customers, and meets an array of strippers/dancers who befriend her. She enjoys the female camaraderie and develops a growing confidence in her ability to inspire desire in her customers. Josephine/Rose Lee maintains a delicate balance although her night job threatens to destabilise her daytime occupation when one evening a customer appears who is a little too close to home.
What I liked about this book was the portrayal of how easy it was for Josephine to be sucked into another life - a life few women would willingly choose; and how it increased her self confidence and self worth. She did not see the job as demeaning and although she enjoyed the financial rewards these did not seem her primary motivation. I particularly enjoyed the depictions of her teaching role and how despite being a vocation, the regimented nature of the job and lack of personal choice could make it tiresome. I found some of the stripping/dancing sections of the book far less appealing but I understand the need for them as a contrast. It made me challenge my own preconceptions.
The author, Ketty Rouf has a Masters in philosophy which is evident in her debut novel - some of the philosophical principles went over my head but I enjoyed them nevertheless. I did enjoy this book but am not sure who I would recommend it to as its an unsettling read.
Well worth a read if you’re a fan of modern European literature and I’m intrigued to see what Ketty Rouf will write next.
Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher Europa Editions UK for the opportunity to read the e-arc in return for an honest review.

Genre: Literary Fiction
Release Date: Expected 12th August 2021

Publisher: Europa Editions

Translated from French by Tina Kover


No Touching is a re-release of 'On ne touche pas', originally released in French in 2020 and winner of prix du premier roman 2020, or the Premier Novel Awards.

Following Josephine, a philosophy teacher in the suburbs of Paris. Her daily life is a tedious, never-ending repetition of working and anxiety medication, and ocassionaly reading erotic novels to break the monotony. But at night, she becomes Rose Lee, a glamourous, desired dancer that breaks the grey of her daily life and fills it with colour.

But living a lie is a dangerous game, and soon Josephine realises she's going to have to make a decision between her stable, safe career and her passion before it all slips from her fingertips.

"You have to cling to something and what better to cling to than yourself?"

No Touching is a story about self-love, freedom and passion, about the way women are taught to look at themselves and how they're seen through everyone elses eyes.

The writing was beautiful - the harsh juxtaposition of the dreariness of her daily life to the explosion of colour and life she feels as she learns to own her happiness and sexuality was crafted masterfully. The world building was otherworldly in a way, making everything seem just slightly magical in a very boring world. At times I felt the prose was somewhat stiff and kept me slightly at an arms length from Josephine and her journey, but I was still able to connect with her as a character on a personal level.

This was a story about the journey itself - I had guessed early on where the road would take Josephine but watching her as she learned and grew was a pleasure to read.


RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Ketty Rouf, Europa Editions and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Josephine teaches at a college in a Paris suburb. Her life is a despondent routine of Xanax tablets and Tupperware lunches in the staff room. A tedious existence punctuated by the incessant, onerous, sometimes surreal, directives from the department of education.

Except that, every night Josephine undergoes a radical transformation and becomes Rose Lee, a stripper in a night club on the Champs-Elysees. There, under the spotlights, she reclaims her life, reconciles herself to her own body, and falls head over heels in love with the desire she inspires in men, the power she draws from it.

Josephine’s life is a mixture of glamour and greyness, a heady, dangerous seesaw between the omnipotence she feels when she’s desired, and the boredom of her day job. But if she carries on playing with fire, Rose Lee may end up burning her wings.

A story of liberation, a heartrending reflection on a woman’s image of herself, and the way others see her, Ketty Rouf’s extraordinary debut gets right down to shattering tired prejudices about sex and society. Definitely a book to add to your list if your open minded, definitely thought provoking.