The Touch

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Not since The Thorn Birds has Colleen McCullough crafted a novel with such wide appeal about family and the Australian experience. Central to the story is Alexander Kinross, once a shiftless boilermaker's apprentice in Scotland, who later strikes it rich in the Australian gold fields. When he writes to summon his bride, his relatives realize he has transformed into a formidable man. Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Drummond arrives in Sydney, only to find her husband-to-be intimidating and repulsive. With no choice, she marries him and is taken to his isolated town, Kinross, near the world’s richest gold mine. In Alexander's grand house, with only Chinese servants for company, Elizabeth discovers that their marriage lacks intimacy; he conceals his past and present, including his mistress, the bold Ruby Costevan. Ruby, a partner in Alexander's expanding business, has a son, Lee, whom Alexander grows fond of and educates as a gentleman. Torn between the contrasting natures of Elizabeth and Ruby, Alexander desires both women. While Ruby loves him, Elizabeth does not, giving him two daughters: the brilliant Nell and the haunting Anna, who brings him unexpected torment. As Alexander seeks an heir in Lee, he unwittingly invites disaster. Their intertwined stories, alongside a rich cast of characters, lead to a shocking climax, blending love, tragedy, and the quest for new beginnings in a foreign land.