The descriptive novel, ‘Touch Me’, written by James Moloney explores the ideas and themes of stereotypes, emotional touching, and physical touching within an Australian secondary school scene. The reader is exposed to countless themes and ideas that revolve around the lives of teenagers in today’s society. With teenagers comes the idea and theme of stereotypes in the prestigious rugby college. The common stereotypes in today’s society are displayed in the novel with one main character breaking out of the stereotypical look. In the novel, Moloney demonstrates the idea of touching heavily in physical and emotional ways through the life of these diverse teenagers.

As the novel intensifies, Moloney develops the idea of touching, focusing heavily on the emotional side of touching. It is through the many social events, relationships and sport that touching is expressed emotionally. The sport of rugby at St Matthews is open to only the best at this competitive school. The game for most players, the staff and some parents associated with the team was about winning at any cost. The game brought emotion to all at the team and even the school because it was the most important element of their lives. The coach was very emotional about the game, pushing the team to its limits. “Win the ball for your team. If you can’t do that, you’re useless” he yelled at the team. When the main character, Xavier McLachlan achieves his first jersey he is touched emotionally feeling successful and accomplished. Nuala Magee is touched by quite a few emotional feeling in the novel through her relationship with Xavier and ambition to be stereotypically different. Nuala has many mixed emotions from sadness and depression to joy and excitement. “She might be vulnerable after all”. She was flying, exultant”. She is very emotional about having to be different and does not like to explain to others why she dresses like a male. Nuala has low spirits after being labelled a “dyke” claiming to Xavier that she does “go out with boys”. Xavier and Nuala both have a very touching relationship. Moloney keeps the relationship between the two growing exceedingly through out the novel. The two become so touched by one another; it would be believed by the reader that they would do anything for one another. There is in addition an incredible side of emotion in the physical side of their relationship.

The numerous aspects of touching with a physical side come from activities in the sport of rugby and the relationship between the main characters, Xavier McLachlan and Nuala Magee. The many games of rugby between the school mates at St Matthews and practice games with girls from the neighbouring school add an aspect of very physical touching. One of the girls in a friendly practise game is “knocked about, dumbfounded… left lying like a rag doll” by one of the bigger guys in the St Matthews team. The game of rugby is taken extremely serious by the St Matthews team especially against other schools in the area. The physical side of the game is truly rough with lots of hard bumps and crashes.  The interactions between Xavier and Nuala develop through out the novel from holding hands to kissing and sexual encounters. “Xavier kissed her behind the ears as he had done last night when he insisted she stay with him”. Xavier and Nuala’s relationship is one based on respect, so the sexual relationship between the two is a major element in the novel adding both suspense and mystery. Xavier and Nuala’s relationship goes beyond the stereotypical girl-boy infatuation based on sexual desire and physical touching.

James Moloney explores the different stereotypical behaviours in the sports orientated secondary school scene. At this school like many other sport orientated schools the players in the final rugby team are the most popular and heroes to everyone. The players on the team are typically very masculine and are there to only win. While there isn’t a popular girl who rules over others, the hardest performing player in the rugby team is the most popular guy at school. Scott is the jock of the school because he performs as the captain of the rugby team, is violent, popular and has the girl to match. He is extremely confident in himself, putting others down to get to the top. “I did you over (Xavier)”. The coach, Preston, of the rugby team has the typical behaviour of only wanting to win at any cost using the death of a student who didn’t even like rugby to pep the team up. When Nuala fails to fit into the normal female stereotype, she is immediately labelled a “dyke” and a lesbian. While Xavier, her once popular boy friend, is viewed differently by others for going out with Nuala and for becoming more than a mindless rugby player. He becomes better friends with a gentle and intelligent boy, Alex, and drops his once mates from the rugby team. When Xavier makes a decision not to go to the formal “he knew that he would have to tell his mates soon, but when Alex Murray turned up it seemed easier to tell him first”. Alex Murray is the typical smart kid in the novel, “(not playing) any sport”, “(preferring) his books and his own company”. The two break free of stereotypical behaviour and become characters in their own rights. Moloney has told the novel to such an extent that it is clear to the reader standing out of stereotypical behaviour is an excellent defeat.

James Moloney in the novel ‘Touch Me’ uses a prestigious secondary school scene to share his knowledge of emotional touching, physical touching, and stereotypes in the life of a teenager. Moloney has made the novel relevant to today’s society by talking about the themes of touching and stereotypes, which affect teenagers all over the world today. This is especially relevant to teenagers at school wanting to break out of stereotypical behaviour like students in the novel have done. Moloney has thought about many themes and emotions effecting society’s teenagers and put them into an easy to read and extremely exciting novel.