Tara had major problems in the novel, Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser. One of them was when she developed a new ritual, which was kissing her fingers and touching a doorknob. There were strengths and weaknesses that effected her life along with her friends and her family. This book held my interest because Tara has many rituals that she can't abort.
Tara had been hearing nothing but the same phrase over and over in her head, which was, step on a crack, break your mother's back. Everyday, Tara walks to school with her head down because she is counting the cracks on the floor. Once she began to count, she couldn't stop. If she lost count, then she would have to retrace her footsteps and count all over again. She made excuses to her friends about why she couldn't walk to or from school with them anymore. However, her friends never believed her and they would eventually become mad and confused.
English: Dermatophagia - extreme nail biting / bit...
Person washing his hands
TaraCounting cracks was horrible for Tara! She tried counting quietly in her head and as quickly as possible. People were watching and listening to her when she walked in the streets. These weaknesses in her life had effected her friends and her behavior.
Between March and June, a couple of horrible things had happened. The first and the worst was her father's heart attack. Tara and her family didn't know if he was going to live or not. Wonderfully, he came home from the hospital days later. When Tara approached the door, her mom stopped her from doing what she was about to do, and that was doing her ritual. But Tara couldn't stop now; she just kept kissing her fingers and touching the doorknob. When Tara tried to meet her friend, Donna and hang out outside, she knew she had to do her ritual. But this time, her dad was in the living room where the front door was. Tara began kissing her fingers and she knew her dad was watching her. When the doorbell rang, Tara didn't open it. She continued with her counting while her dad was screaming at her to open the door. Finally, Tara was lifted away by her dad. At the door was Mr. Jacobson. He was a friend of her dads. Mr. Jacobson explained to Tara that she is suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder. As the months become shorter, these strengths that Tara were dealing with were helping her understand her problems increasingly.
This novel held my interest because the author described Tara's problems clearly and descriptively. I understood what she was going through and what problems she was facing. Tara is a bright, smart, and shy girl but at times, her rituals interfere with her life.
Kissing Doorknobs was quite interesting. Tara had weaknesses and strengths that had affected the way she lived. She had rituals that she couldn't control nor stop. This novel was written very expressively.
Tara Nevins