Capable of Feeling (2013) Parents Guide: Is the book OK for kids?

The book centers on Sophy's fear of intimacy and her eventual sexual awakening with Jon. While there is significant discussion of physical desire and several 'steamy' kissing and embracing scenes, the sexual content is largely descriptive of emotion and sensation rather than clinical or highly graphic. Sophy spends much of Chapter 2 and Chapter 5 contemplating her perceived 'frigidity' and lack of physical response. Later chapters involve Jon pushing the boundaries of their agreement with passionate embraces that…

Physical violence is absent from the narrative, with no scenes of combat, battery, or physical harm occurring during the story's present timeline. The primary conflict is emotional, involving Sophy's past trauma and the stresses of caring for Jon's niece and nephew. There is a vague, non-graphic mention of a past traumatic incident involving a man that created Sophy's fear of physical contact, but the event is not depicted on the page. Characters may exhibit minor physical tension, such as a firm grip on an arm or…

Very mild. There is occasional use of words like 'damn' or 'hell,' but strong profanity is non-existent. These words are typically used by Jon or Sophy when they are frustrated by the behavior of the children or their own complicated emotions. The dialogue reflects the formal and polite standards of 1980s category romance, avoiding coarse anatomical references or racial slurs. Characters express their anger through sharp retorts or cold silences rather than vulgarity. Readers will find the linguistic content to be…

Social drinking of wine or cocktails occurs occasionally at dinner or during social gatherings, handled as a standard social norm. In Chapter 6, Sophy and Jon share wine to ease the tension of their unconventional living situation, and brandy is mentioned as a restorative after a long day. There is no depiction of drunkenness, substance abuse, or illegal drug use within the story. Alcohol serves primarily as a social lubricant or a marker of an adult domestic setting, often used to bridge the gap during awkward…

The story handles sensitive themes including the psychological effects of a previous attempted assault (alluded to as the source of her 'frigidity'), grief regarding the death of children's parents, and the transactional nature of convenience marriages. Sophy's internal monologue in the early chapters deals heavily with her sense of brokenness and her fear of being 'unwomanly.' The early chapters also touch on the sorrow of young children losing their parents and the sudden weight of responsibility placed on the…