“Living means wanting to live. It means acting. Acting as if. Like a game. Like a child who doesn’t see the disparity between the world and its own senses. As if we aren’t born to die.” #NoTouching #KettyRouf #EuropaEditions Genre: #Novel #Fiction #LGBTQ #WIT My rating: 5 / 5 Why there is so much love for this book? Well, because author goes against “social stereotypes”, she writes about the importance of self-love and confronts educational system. There is so much philosophy, within such a small number of pages. I love books, which leave something after reading them. Josephine is a school philosophy teacher. She hates French educational system, and how everyone is being ignorant towards serious issues. She survives thanks to Xanax tablets. She is anxious and self-loathing women. Everything changes after her visit to the strip club one day, she sees the freedom in the atmosphere. She gives herself a chance and starts dancing, she loves her new life, until one day, unexpected happens and she has to reevaluate her life. Best part of this book in my opinion is letters. Letters where Josephines student is asking her philosophical life questions and she as a teacher has to give a right answer, but theory is often different from life's reality. This book in the way is feminine rebellion, liberation from certain stereotypes. It’s very feminine and very sensual. Highly recommend this book for a person, who at least once in their lifetime looked in the mirror and didn’t like what they saw there. Despite the topic, vagabond nature of this book, in my opinion it’s a great motivator and source for the self-esteem. As of the negative side of the book, well, I believe that for some people this book contains too many erotic scenes (well, quarter of the book is set in the strip club).

Kelly Rouf’s extraordinary debut novel won the prestigious French literary prize Prix du Premier Roman 2020 ( First Novel award) . It is the story of one woman’s journey to liberate herself from societal norms to enjoy her freedom and womanhood. Josephine, during the day teaches philosophy in a high school but at night , she transforms into an exotic dancer. In the strip club she learns the code of “no touching”. She bonds with the other girls over the thrills and adventures of being the centre of men’s desire. I love the way Rouf uses philosophy to describe Josephine’s navigation between her two different worlds. This novel should definitely go onto your reading list. It is perfect one for every woman to enjoy their image what they see and the way others see them.

A story of Josephine, a disillusioned philosophy teacher, who finds freedom and joy thanks to Rose Lee - her striptease stage persona. Josephine was depressed, at odds with her body, her work and her colleagues. The idea of going back to work was almost panic inducing and her life felt pointless and bland. Until she found her way to striptease classes and eventually on the stage of one of Paris' high-end strip clubs. Through her journey as Rose Lee - fearless, sexy and confident woman - she reconnects with her body and finds freedom and thrill in acting on her seductive side. It also allows her to reflect and see her life and those around her in a new light. I've truly enjoyed Jo's story. I liked her character - how daring and smart she was. I enjoyed following her on her journey from reserved and stifled, to confident, daring and more self-aware. I also appreciate how the author did not alter her completely, the character grew organically and realistically. Her reflections and philosophical musing (not overwhelming, but competent and mature) added depth and three-dimensionality to the story. I rooted for Josephine to find her place, grow and learn the most she could while having fun and connecting with different parts of herself.

"No Touching" follows a woman who is Josephine by day - a Philosophy teacher bored with the mundanity of educating high school students; and Rose Lee by night - a brand new stripper in a club on the Champs-Elysees. There's no big story, this is more of a character study; but the juxtaposition between Josephine's contrasting identities is extreme. Her observations on life, men, and body image is very intense, and Ketty Rouf covers a lot of ground in such a short book. Interesting, overwhelming, unexpected.

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.