Isolation

by Denise R. Stephenson

"Isolation" depicts a bleak but recognizable future in which the fear of contagion reaches a fever pitch as a bacterial epidemic catapults the US into an apocalyptic crisis. Touch is outlawed. Mothers like Maggie bind their infants' hands, terrified they might slip fingers into mouths. Gary, a Sterilizer, uses robots to scour the infected, avoiding all contact with human flesh. Trevor, the Chief Enforcer, watches, eager to report any and all infractions. One inadvertent touch will change all of their lives.

396 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2014

About the author

Denise R. Stephenson resides in Oceanside, CA, but she has lived in all the remote locales of her first novel, Isolation. Staying inside of boxes, forms, and genres has never been her strength. She's published over 20 academic articles and book chapters, many of which stray from traditional conventions. As a member of Attention Deficit Drama, she has written and produced monologs and short plays. She hopes to one day see on stage, Hibakusha, her most recent play about nuclear disasters. Stephenson is a book artist as well as a writer and has shown her letterpress book "What She Said" in several national shows.

Reviews

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a world where just the touch of someone could quite literally kill you. In fact the spread of contaminants and bacteria are spiraling so out of control that physical touch is banned. To prevent the spread of bacteria, you are not allowed to touch your face at all. What has become a habit is now against the law. A new motto is in effect, "Habits learned early are habits for life." In fact the world's population is now spiraling out of control as government agencies like the CDC and Homeland Security are trying to figure out just how to control the spread of bacteria like Ecoli and others that are killing people faster than 48 hours.

Suddenly bans on everything is becoming the norm as they try to isolate the sources and causes for so many wide spread deaths on a global scale. Antibacterials or AB's are now sought after in great supplies along with sanitary supplies like bleach and antibiotics. People are now becoming obsessive in their attempts to stay alive and even companies like AgriBiz have been trying to find safe food products and have worked to genetically modify things like wheat and corn to increase supply while trying to fight diseases.

The common cold, allergies, and other respiratory infections all become dangerous beyond discomfort. People, even close relatives, would shy away from an afflicted person. It was impossible to know what was causing an illness, and the illness caused symptoms that became shunned. A kind of stoning occurred when infected individuals ventured out in public with an audible cough. You could have called it a beating - it would have sounded more contemporary, less ancient - but the fact was no one wanted to touch an infected person. So throwing things - bricks, chunks of concrete, anything you found that was heavy and safe to pick up, though not garbage, obviously - at someone who coughed or sneezed was a safe way to eliminate a contaminating source, who happened to be a person, a person who ignited your deepest fear, the fear that a cold could kill you. After that, people with colds quarantined themselves, sought medical attention and called in sick. It was that or face the wrath of the terrorized public.

So foods became unsafe, first fresh vegetables and fruits, then pork, chicken and beef until all sources of those products were completely destroyed in an effect to contain whatever was killing people. Pretty soon the only thing that remained was government surplus products that were divided as an allotment based on your age and weight. Soon the government took things further creating groups designed to specifically looking for offenders to the bans and arrest or contain them as needed. Pretty soon even the population was controlled in an effort to stop the spread of the deadly bacteria, but were they killing themselves in the process?

I received Isolation by Denise R. Stephenson compliments of Virtual Authors Blog Tours and Mill City Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. Based on where we are headed with the recent introductions of GMO's into our food supply, what Denise has written could very well be a chilling future look at where we as a country might be headed. The controversy over the use of GMO's, overuse of antibacterial products and immunity of antibiotics are chilling to see the results of this played out over time. While this novel is science fiction, it could quite possibly give us insight into our own apocalyptic future. I'd rate this novel a 4 out of 5 stars based on my personal rating scale, which includes some profanity and sexual content.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine not being able to touch yourself or others for fear of punishment. Imagine a world where so many have died from bacterial infection that it’s now a law, strongly enforced, of no touching of any kind.

We already see signs of this in some countries. People going out in public wearing face masks and gloves. Sanitizer stations in business entryways.

The author approaches this clinically and emotionally.

I couldn’t imagine not being able to kiss my babies face, hug a friend, or even wipe the tears from my own face.

For those born before the outbreaks, old habits die hard. It’s a slip of the mind to reach up and scratch your nose if it itches, and if you are spotted, you’re reported and punished.

Enforcers and Sterilizers are recruited and put in place supposedly for your own protection. This is where big brother thinks they know what’s best for everyone. And putting fear into the equation makes most people go along with their mandate.

But there are some who feel differently. Who secretly break the rules. Who dare to want more.

I don’t read reviews for a book until after mine has been published, but I’m betting a lot of people have said the same thing. This could happen and it might not be too far off. How often do you turn on the news and hear about this or that food product being pulled from the shelves because it’s contaminated? How people have sickened from it and even died?

The author approached this scenario with a dystopian and science fiction genre. At least that’s how it felt to me.

While I didn’t have a favorite character, there was one I wish had chosen a different employment, and three I wish could have prevailed together.

The ending is deeply moving. Profound.

I enjoyed this glimpse into a possible future and highly recommend it.


I received this book for my honest review.

[Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Isolation" is the story about a handful of people dealing with a world I can't even begin to imagine. The story starts in kind of a lookback at how a deadly virus changed the world, and then comes to current time and how the sickness has changed the world and what it means for the survivors.A horrible sickness has broken out in the world and is spreading quickly. It's incredibly unpleasant (lots of bloody diarrhea) and deadly. The government struggles with how to contain it, especially because they don't know how it spreads.

So it starts with a "no touching your face" ban.


The restrictions tighten and tighten until contact and outside movement is basically nonexistent. Can you imagine? But then a random touch in a pretty uncomfortable situation leads to something interesting for two people...

I thought this book was interesting because it seems like if this scenario is present in a book the world kind of grinds to a halt. That is not to say that the world of the book isn't insane, because it is. But there seems to be a functional government, laws and rules, fail safes, and people in charge of endless bureaucracies. Usually everything just ends up in chaos and fire and looting and horror. While there is still horror, at least this new world doesn't seem to be defined by it.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could, I would give it 3 1/2 stars. I really liked the concept but it didn't quite come together for me. I liked most of the main plot points and characters, but the pacing was off me. Characters would be introduced and then disappear for long periods of time or all together. That said, I enjoyed it because it seems believable.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isolation introduces us to a world where a few unfortunate characters have contracted a very nasty and deadly bug, but each have different symptoms. Then we are transported to a seemingly near future, where people are forbidden to touch their own face, in order to avoid contamination. The book then narrates the evolution of such measures and their effects on some key characters.


Negatives:

- Regarding the time leap in the beginning, I could not tell when either action took place or even how long separates the two. We also never knew characters ages. I could tell some characters we had known as very young in the past are present here in an older version (which was good) but not how old they were currently. The only time I saw any ages mentioned was when Pele was 10 and Cathy 79. Considering she was around 10 when it all started, that means roughly 70 years passed.
So it bothered me that I could never tell time. Not being able to tell when things happened was something that accompanied me throughout the book and sometimes the narrative jumped back and forth in time and was difficult to keep up with.

- I found it odd that stuff like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Craig's List were still up and running after 70 years.

- My main problem was getting into the book.
First of all, I did not find the chapter division appealing. Secondly, reading Isolation a lot of times felt like reading a formal report on the economical, scientific, sociological and historical effects of a catastrophe, as opposed to a novel. In between these reports, we get to know a few characters, but never too deeply, in my opinion- especially in the first third to half of the book.

There is an excess of informative articles. I think that the fact that the book does not portray the effects of a single virus or bacterium but of several contributed to this, which in turn caused me to skim through information that was probably important.
Once the ‘boring’ (only because it was excessive) bit was over and I finally started getting into the story and getting to know a character, the voice would change again. There are so many voices that at some point I simply lost track. This was quite overwhelming, so I can understand why some people were unable or unwilling to stick to it.

- I could not tell why one of the characters narrated the book. If everything else was narrated using third voice, why introduce a first voice? I kept hoping that would be explained in the end but it wasn’t. I could tell this character was more in the loop than the others, but it’s still extremely confusing, because it’s not like he could narrate every single thing that showed up in the book, be it events or how the other characters felt and what they thought.

- I could not tell why such an extreme ban as face touching was set in place. First of all, I would have liked to see further alternatives explored. Secondly, why not touch just the face? What about the other orifices? If a virus can be transmitted via touching your eyes or nose, certainly it could be transmitted by other body parts and yet self-touch was allowed. Instead of getting some explanations for this, I got walls of text of technical information about bacteria, fomites, viruses, pharmaceuticals and other companies with all sorts of agendas...

- I found it odd that while the whole country was in chaos, with people panicking, looting, etc – the government and big conglomerates like the pharmaceutical company and AgriBiz still went about their business as usual, pursuing their own personal interests. While on one hand economy seemed just fine and the government appeared to be in absolute control, on the other hand there was no law enforcement set in place. It seemed a bit unrealistic, even with the later explanation of how AgriBiz had infiltrated the government. Eventually the government adapted but I still found this period a bit off.


Positives:

- I can tell there was a lot of research done for this book and that it was written with love.

- I don't usually notice covers much but I thought this one is very successful in portraying what the book describes.

- Some if not most of the ideas the author came up with are exquisite, namely the government’s reaction to the progression of the bacterial problem, the reactions of people to the new government rules and the progressively lower difficulty in dealing with the situations as new generations were born – that was particularly scary. I loved how the author approached bathing, eating, generating energy, clothing, etc and the way she created an atmosphere of absolute and intense fear was very successful. All that was very obviously thought through and so uncomfortably completely believable!

- The second half of the book is pretty amazing. I got a good picture of who the characters were and what they had to deal with. It was hard to put myself in their shoes because what everyone takes for granted and perfectly normal (touch) simply was not a part of their world. And the author did an outstanding job portraying a world where removing this simple but so necessary thing takes out what makes us human and can turn people into beings almost completely devoid of feeling and thought.
Kids being born and growing up without ever being touched, to the point where the mere idea of touch was abhorrent, and many other notions finally hit home, giving me the shudders. At the same time, this feeling of greyness invaded me, while trying to imagine a world without hope or purpose and where, as we are told, keeping track of days is meaningless because they're all the same.


Conclusion:

The idea behind Isolation is pretty brilliant. Some notions, particularly the ones I mentioned above, were too. I just didn't find the execution appealing. There were too many articles, too many characters. (Some seemed pretty pointless to me, like Stacy and her twin.)
These two things, paired with the fact that the voices kept jumping made me not feel connected to the characters for a long time, and even caused me to forget some characters and which characteristics belonged to which characters. It started getting a bit better after a third or so of the book, but the fact is I felt pulled in a million directions and that wasn't pleasant.

The chapters needed context and to be better divided. I would have liked to see dates in both the articles and the narratives. I would have liked to know characters' ages. I would also have liked a bit more info on how the rest of the world was dealing with this. I would perhaps have liked to see all descriptions of the more secondary characters put together in one chapter, instead of having the voices change so often. At least it would have been easier to keep up.

I found the ending disappointing; I suppose it fits the whole book, but I didn’t get any closure whatsoever. I wonder if there will be a sequel, I haven’t seen in mentioned anywhere.

Generally speaking, I base my ratings on the feelings I experience while reading the book, if the book stays with me when I am done with it and how interesting and thought provoking the theme is.
The only characters that stayed with me in the end were the final two and Cathy, my favourite.
While I do find the subject very thought provoking and some aspects were extremely well executed, the fact is it took me a long time to get into the book; I had contemplated rating the book 1 or 2 stars the whole time I was reading the first third to half. The second half is a solid 4, but I have to be true to my principles and therefore rated it 3 stars.

If you think you can endure the way the book is presented, I do recommend it. The concepts are very interesting, smart and thought provoking.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isolation by Denise R. Stephenson is highly recommended, especially because this could conceivably happen.

Isolation opens with a woman cutting her finger, just a little nick, while slicing red onions. Within a day she is dead from a bacterial infection. We hear about these cases today, although death may not come quite that quickly. Perhaps there is a bacterial infection, like E. coli O157:H7, running rampant, causing severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Maybe the bacterial infection is a salmonella outbreak linked back to tainted spinach. Or perhaps it is Listeria. Or Staph. The point is we all hear about these cases of bacterial infections that result in death today.

But what would happen if the bacteria became more lethal?

We need bacteria to live; it helps digestion for one thing. The problem is as we use more and more antibiotics, we are creating an environment where antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria develop. We nuke food for preservation, which kills bacteria, but does that create more resistant strains? We genetically alter crops to be resistant to diseases and bacteria, but what is the outcome, the end game, of those actions?

In Isolation, Denise R. Stephenson creates a future reality where bacteria seems to be declaring war on the human race and we are fighting back by creating government bureaucracies (through Homeland Security, NSA, etc.) to control the population and the spread of bacteria. It begins with outlawing all facial touching - don't even think about wiping your eyes, scratching your nose, etc. in a public place because chances are an enforcer will find out and there will be consequences.

AB, anti-bacterial sprays and products are the norm and liberally used. There is no chance to build up any resistance as all bacteria are deemed bad. If there is a bacterial outbreak, citizens may be required to stay isolated indoors. Eventually all touching/human contact becomes prohibited and everyone is required to stay indoors.

Isolation follows several different characters over the years as the government becomes more and more intrusive and controlling in the attempt to stop all bacteria. Interspersed through the first half of the novel are newspaper articles that provide more informative background on what is happening and on the science behind it. The news articles were a nice way to convey information as the story and the intrusiveness of the government increases. I would mention that today many people get their news online, so some of the articles could have reflected this - but they may in the final copy of the book. Either way, the news articles were effective in helping propel the story forward.

There is a huge buildup of information and over-reactions to the bacteria at the beginning of the book and then the novel focuses on individuals and how they are coping with their brave new hyper-controlled world.

A chilling scenario that could be played out today on several levels, I enjoyed Isolation enormously.

Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the author and Premier Virtual Author Book Tours for review purposes.

[Chris Torretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book and to my delight it met my expectations and even exceeded them!

Firstly, this is a really intriguing but horrific story. I could actually see a future like this happening and that is what makes it so frightening. That and like a really good horror you don't totally know who the culprit is! The characters in the book realize that the problem is bacteria but from what? The fever pitch that hits the entire world is ridiculously amazing and so scary. The setting winds up being a dystopian where neighbor or friends tell on each other because in the end nobody wants to die and that's what makes this book so crazy; it all stems from fear.

I felt a little disjointed in some of it. The only real way to tell time is knowing that Pele has grown from an infant and is now a 10 year old. If there wasn't that frame of reference I am not sure I would have known exactly how much time had gone by. There are so many stories in the beginning that I was curious how everything was going to come together but I think Denise r. Stephenson does that to show the impact. Most of the characters you will read about will die, there is no getting around that, but unlike in some books where I just wanted to slam the book shut, I was more involved because of this occurrence and even more intrigued, morbidly!

As the circles start to close I started getting a feeling of the true main characters and their place in this overall storyline and the emerging plots and that's when it gets really scary. I found myself worried so much for them that my heart would just palpitate! And then there were other characters who just sort of fell off the face of the earth that I wanted to hear more about but I am guessing they went the way of so many others.

In some parts of this I just wanted to cry. The bans were so crazy but truly I really think that Denise was able to hit on our fear factor and explain exactly what could happen if our society were to run into a break out like this and sadly it just wasn't one contagion, it was a myriad of things that people were dying from. It made that fear all the more scary and all the more acceptable because to be without fear is to be dead! Over and over again there were things put into place that I immediately recognized as acceptable because of the amount of fear these people had. It was truly amazing and truly horrific and I want a book two!

396 pages was a lot for one book but by the end (and throughout really) I just wanted more. Phenomenal writing, exceptional characters, and brilliant suspense. Did I say I wanted a book two because I really do!

4.5/5

[Bonnie Rediske- · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel I need to start this review by saying that I am not a huge fan of apocalyptic books of this nature. I read it as part of an obligation to the author. The book started out slow for me, bouncing every couple of pages with different POV's. I realize that when you have a shifting POV, it tends to be difficult to manage how soon to change from one character to the next. I believe the author knew what she wanted to do with this book, but I am not entirely convinced that it turned out the way that was best. You start reading this book, getting a very dry picture of all the different bacterium that are infecting the population. The author did well at researching the diseases, describing the diseases, but the solutions to the problem just did not seem realistic to me. Half-way through the book, the press releases about the pathogens stopped. When they stopped, it created some disjointed writing for me. I get that people can develop an immunity to antibiotics, but for me the progression of this story just was not realistic for me. I was bothered by the ways that "decontamination" supposedly happen when clearly there will always be some level of bacteria. Then in the last 75 pages or so, to suddenly throw in a sexual element just did not work for me. For the first 50 percent of the book, I almost stopped reading, but continued to see if things would improve and what the final outcome would be. Denise did not really deliver a conclusion to this epidemic, so for the readers that do like this- I hope there is a sequel because you will be left guessing if there is not.

***Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock***

[Steve Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review intentionally contains no spoilers.

"..a novel about the dystopian future which is just around the corner... "

Hard hitting in its aims from the outset and certainly pulling no medical punches, Isolation is a strong atmospheric debut novel that takes on a serious issue and This is a highly researched and detailed bio novel but where no medical knowledge required from the reader. The reader's cold feeling of paranoia starts with images of where people seem to be ubiquitously wearing masks and develops further as the post-1984 Orwellian type government Sanitizers and Enforcers make their presences felt. Perhaps like me you might find yourself increasingly worrying about why your neck is itching while you read Isolation.
Strong realistic free flowing dialogue continues right through a novel that is easy to read even through jaunts between scenes.

"Then she proceeded to push her hair behind her ears, repeatedly. This was before the Touch Ban, but it was disgusting nonetheless..."


For the UK reader, it takes a little time to adjust to the American spelling and grammar throughout but this all adds to the atmosphere. I soon began to enjoy this as I got drawn into the increasing medical anxieties of Isolation's main characters.
Much time and love has obviously been spent putting Isolation together. Isolation is a meticulously researched novel. Five stars are deserved and I hope there is a sequel.

" It might not be the nuclear Armageddon promised by the cold war, but it is no less deadly. "

Recommended.

[Kate Kremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost daily I see news flashes about drug resistant strains of illnesses alongside that of government and corporate overreach into individual privacy. Protests against GMO’s are on the rise and an increasing number of public locations have hand sanitizer stations. All of these seemingly minor and unconnected events gain momentum and meaning in Denise Stephenson’s first novel, Isolation. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where danger exists in the most natural of human yearnings, touch. More than a dystopian novel this story is a disturbing but enlightening journey into a future that we may be unwittingly and incrementally creating. Woven into the story are bits of scientific, economic and historical perspective. Stephenson’s enjoyably diverse and colorful characters drew me into a future scenario that affects the way I read the news and wash my hands. I highly recommend this book and plan on purchasing a number of copies to share.

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly this one was a DNF. The chapters jumped about a bit too much for me and you never got chance to be invested in the plot or the characters.

[Meghan Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eager to reread this terrific book by my friend and mentor.

[Chris Dietzel]

I don't want to leave any kind of rating or review that isn't supportive. I'll just say this book wasn't for me but it might be right for other readers.

[kylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the full review on Nerdophiles.com.

Isolation by Denise R. Stephenson is one of those stories that stick with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Like how you’re now aware that you’re holding your jaw up, or your tongue is resting in your mouth, or you’re breathing manually.

Suddenly, Isolation makes you aware of the health risks you take daily. The very first snapshot into a character’s life, page one, had me questioning my own habits. Then, as I read on and the fear of bacteria and the ever-increasing preventative measures were put in place, the lines began to blur and I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where I felt it had all become ‘too much.’

Clearly, by the time all touch is outlawed we’ve gone too far, but anti-bacterial hand sanitizer? At one point, genetically altered foods are discussed, big business interests allied with the government may be scapegoated for things, how many further steps do we go today to get to quarantines and isolation?

The world-building in Isolation is fantastic, starting off somewhat disjointed and lost, leaving the reader to feel just as confused as the characters this is happening to. The story progresses in a way that makes it plausible that it has already been put in motion in our society today. News articles give snapshots of the world at large outside of just the characters we’re following.

It takes until about the last third of the book to really hone in on the singular story being told, but I didn’t mind that because I’ve always loved a well-built world in a book.

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/is...

Brought to you by guest reviewer Jesse J.

Slight Spoilers

Picture yourself in a world where so few remember. Remember the taste of cherries just picked from the field, the smell of fresh cut grass, the passionate kisses to your husband. Unfortunately, the lovely common things we take for granted are banned because highly resistant bacteria are everywhere and contaminate livestock and vegetation. With no cure, new strains of Listeria and Ecoli are killing people left and right. The Government turns from a democracy to an almost communistic rule. No touching your face or another person, no going outside, no eating natural foods. All every day jobs are gone, and every one receives daily allotments and has to exercise on equipment to generate power.

Although I enjoyed reading about all the different characters it was very hard for me to keep track of who’s turn in the book it was. I would have appreciated a heading or chapters to keep it organized. Sometimes the sentences ran together and I was confused on what was going on. That being said I really enjoyed Isolation. It depicts an incredibly realistic future. With the common use of pesticides and every day vaccinations it is completely possible for bacteria and viruses to evolve and become super bugs. Just knowing that made me think twice when cooking dinner or going fishing. Cathy, a mother and grandmother reminded me of myself. Although she is in her 60’s the talk of the past and the 5 second rule- you know the one you still do, drop food and if its only been on the ground 5 seconds or less its free game! I feel if I were in her situation it would be extremely difficult to adjust and forget the past. Her daughter Maggie thinks Cathy is criminally insane when she talks like this. Although Maggie and Cathy are at opposite ends of the spectrum I feel like if I were a mother I would be much like Maggie. Although the rules are heart breaking when raising an infant, you do what you have to do no matter how cruel. After all, habits learned early are habits for life.

I had a little difficulty with the end of the book. The story begins with a few offenders, people who accidently sneeze or touch someone, to zero offenders. In the middle another character named Gary starts to question his purpose as a Sanitizer. He also gets lonely, in an unfortunate event Gary and Maggie meet, after they both yearn for more. Maggie and a old Professor being to wonder about outside and life out of their apartments they have been confined to for the past decade. In the end of the book one character goes outside and is severely punished, another gets touched for the first time and was scared out of his mind and one ventures out in the world, never looking back. I was expecting some kind of change or grand gesture towards reanimating the world again. Like the one who ventured outside to find out they were all an experiment or that the government was trying to control them although they found a cure . But nothing changed. I was very disappointed.

*OBS would like to thank the author and Virtual Author Book Tours for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review as part of their ongoing blog tour*

[Heather Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the future, people start dying from what appear to be common illnesses, yet they fail to respond to the usual treatments. Various illness strains have began to combine with other strains forming super bacterias. In almost all cases, once you contract one of these illnesses, there is no cure. Agribusiness plays a big role in the spread as soon most crops have been identified as disease vectors.

The human response to limiting the spread is slow. First are laws to prevent people from touching their faces. Not an easy thing to implement and many older people find this difficult. Then there are the babies, how do you stop your infant from putting his or her fingers in his or her mouth. But it has to be done, it's required by law.

Throughout the novel, we follow the lives of several people. Gary had never known a life with touch, but he was curious about the past. He chose to go into nursing as that seemed right with his urge to nurture people. Cathy grew up before all this happened and was used to hugging and touching. Her daughter Maggie was young when the illnesses began, and her grandson Pele had never known a touch from another person. Trevor had finally found his place in the world. His OCD, combined with his rigid belief in adherence to rules, earned him a top position as an Enforcer. Important for survival but feared by much of the population. And finally, we have the scientist/professor. He used to work with food and drugs. These people typify some of the responses to this unfolding disaster, some fall apart and others thrive. I can't say I loved all these characters, but they all seemed appropriate and probable.

Scattered among the chapters are images of newspaper articles taken from the world press as events unfold. These provide some of the science behind what has happened and the spread of the diseases and curtailment of daily life. They read like true news stories, which made the book seem all the more real. More than once I had the urge to use hand sanitizer.

Just before the mid point of the book, I was thinking that I had enough of the build up of the disease, I wanted the author to get on with the story. I took a break and when I came back and continued reading, that's exactly what happened. The author had timed it perfectly, I'd had my saturation of disease and now was ready to continue with the living.

Yes, the book is fiction, though it is based on much truth and science. I did get hints that if blame were to be laid for these outbreaks, it would be on those who value money over food quality and safety. I did enjoy this book but at the same time it has left a bit of chill making me question some of my food choices. (not a bad thing at all). This would make a great book club selection.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isolation by Denise R. Stephenson is featured as part of a Premier Virtual Authors Book Tours blog tour and is also a part of a Rafflecopter giveaway on the Contests and Giveaways page of this blog. The novel is set in future apocalyptic America and while it can be categorized as science fiction, the epidemic that it predicts has its roots in all too real events.....

Like many good science fiction novels, Isolation poses serious questions and implications for the path that we are headed on in real life. The spotlight shines brightly on AgriBiz and its use of GMO's in crops and antibiotics in hormones, as major causes for the rises in tainted food supplies and bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotic treatment. The role of government in limiting the civil liberties of its citizens under the guise of safety is also examined, echoing today's debates about government curtailing freedom in order to protect citizens from terror threats......

Isolation is a disturbing, chillingly realistic portrayal of our potential future that should give us pause in the midst of our daily lives to reflect on what could happen if current trends are left unchecked. As the professor said, "while we peered up into the heavens, the rug was pulled out from under us, the rug of oats and wheat and sweet grasses, the carpeting of green we lived on".

To read the rest of my review, as well as a Q &A with the author, please visit my blog, Book Talk With Alana, at http://booktalkwithalana.blogspot.com

[Ashley Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't finish this book. The concept is very interesting--what if no one could touch each other or their own faces for fear of catching a horrible disease?--but I kept waiting for something to actually HAPPEN. I held out for quite a while, hoping the action would pick up, but even halfway through the the book it seemed like there was no actual plot. We get to see how the Touch Bans are affecting the lives of several different people, but I really didn't know enough about them to actual care deeply if anything happened to the characters. I was hoping it was going to gradually show things getting worse and worse until something climaxes, but again that never seemed to happen. If the author was intending a slow build up to something amazing, she took it at a snail's pace. I think she could have taken such a unique concept and done so much more with it. I'm disappointed, to say the least.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a gripping tale. It was an incredible read that kind of scared the heck out of me. The story was well paced. It was never slow, it had me gripped to the page with every turn. Just imagine living in a world where you could be arrested just for touching your face in public?!? Can you imagine that?

'Isoaltion' was so well-written and extremely interesting to read. It definitely makes you think. Could a thing like this really happen? How would it be living in a world like that? The book drifts back and forth telling the story of many people. It kept me hooked through to the last page.

While this book did kind of scare me, it also gave me hope. I loved reading about all of the characters and loved to see how they were trying hard to survive and build a new life. It really was a great read. I urge you to check it out.

[Amanda Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isolation is a fascinating look at how society could potentially fall apart will the spread of a mysterious illness. It’s told in vignettes and reminded me so much of the Matt Damon movie, Contagion. Isolation takes the story a step further though by progressing into a dystopian future where “face-touching” is not allowed (because of the fear of spreading disease). This book is probably better suited for those with a strong stomach though - you get some very vivid images of how the disease affects and breaks down the human body, but that made it more realistic. I also think it had a very Walking Dead vibe, because it becomes less about the plague that’s taken over the world and more about how humanity deals with disaster. Great story!

[Kristin (Kritters Ramblings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

A medical and political thriller all rolled up in one tight book. Broken into three different sections with the first being the onset of the "disease", the second being the government trying to figure out the plan to control the "disease" and the final part is the community living with the actions that were taken. I loved the clear distinctions in the book and the feel were each unique and added to that part in time in this world.

I am not a huge medical fan, but the dystopian esque feel of the book combined with politics and humanity were spot on. The medical/disease wasn't so scientific which helped! I appreciated the author swirling all the elements together and she made quite the book.

[Victoria Brinius · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book freaked me out a little bit. How could I not touch my face, or my baby? Human touch is so important to infants. This is definitely a world of nature and not nurture. The enforcer was not a job that I would want. Gary, the sterilizer, has to have OCD. In fact I think that all people that live in this world would have OCD. I liked that this could really happen. Once the immune system is weakened it only takes one germ to kill. This was a great read. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.
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[John Rapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave it three stars whenever I read it. Not sure why. Need to reread it in the era of COVID. Would take on a new meaning, I suppose.