“I took his hand and shook it. Even with all the training I’ve had to desensitize me to the necessity of occasional contact with strangers, the gesture felt wrong. You aren’t supposed to touch people you don’t know. Not unless they’ve just demonstrated their infection status with a successful blood test, and maybe not even then.”
In this quote from Mira Grant's novel, the main character expresses discomfort and unease when shaking hands with a stranger, even though she has been trained to interact with strangers as part of her job. The emphasis on the importance of knowing a person's infection status reflects a society that is highly focused on preventing the spread of disease. This quote highlights the theme of mistrust and isolation in a world where physical contact is closely monitored and regulated. It also underscores the impact that fear and paranoia can have on human interaction.
In Mira Grant's quote, the concept of hesitance towards physical contact with strangers due to the fear of infection is highlighted. In today's world, especially during a global pandemic like COVID-19, this sentiment rings true more than ever before. The heightened focus on hygiene and social distancing has made people more cautious about physical touch and contact with others.
“I took his hand and shook it. Even with all the training I’ve had to desensitize me to the necessity of occasional contact with strangers, the gesture felt wrong. You aren’t supposed to touch people you don’t know. Not unless they’ve just demonstrated their infection status with a successful blood test, and maybe not even then.” - Mira Grant.
In this passage, the character reflects on the societal norms and precautions taken in a world where infections and diseases are prevalent. Consider the following questions:
“You’re touching me,” I chided him. He caressed my back, sliding his hand down, hitting every sensitive point I hadn’t even known I had. “No, this is touching you. That was just accidental contact.” “Oh? Good to know. If you touch me again and I break your arm off, you can be sure it will be completely accidental.”
“I don’t know how you do it. You aren’t even blond. I mean, maybe a little, but mostly you’re a brunette. I just don’t see guys going for that.”“Yeah, well, some people are into kinky stuff, I guess.”
“It’s me,” he said, and cleared his throat. “I could understand if you didn’t believe me, but I swear on the Angel, Iz, it’s me.” Alec said nothing, but his grip on Jace’s hand tightened. “You don’t need to swear,” he said, and with his free hand touched the parabatai rune near his collarbone. “I know. I can feel it. I don’t feel like I’m missing a part of me anymore.”“I felt it too.” Jace took a ragged breath. “Something missing. I felt it, even with Sebastian, but I didn’t know what it was I was missing. But it was you. My parabatai.”
“Do you think the dead don’t know what they’ve lost? Don’t you ever wonder why they seek human flesh? That maybe it’s their way of believing again? Of living again—if even for that one pure moment that blood pulses inside their mouths?”
“You are still not fucking immortal, sir. And your men certainly aren’t, but I don’t give a shit about the men. It’s you we can’t replace. And I’m supposed to be here to protect you. How can you engage in hand-to-hand combat in the water when you are supposed to be in the rear? What do you think you are made of, Captain? Until just now when I saw you bleed red blood like the rest of us, I wasn’t sure.”“It’s not my blood,” Alexander said.“What?”But Alexander shook his head.”