A review by agarje1
Dark at the Crossing by Elliot Ackerman
4.0
3.5 Stars
For me, the most interesting aspect of this book was how it dealt thematically with the idea of borders. Of course, there is the physical border between Turkey and Syria that the main character, Haris, is trying to cross. But there are also evident borders (or barriers) between each of the characters because none of them completely understands the feelings and motivations of the others. As a result of this, Haris often ends up completely misreading people and situations. The idea of crossing a border seems simple enough, but the trials and tribulations that Haris goes through to try to cross the actual border mirrors how difficult it is to cross the barriers people put up between themselves.
The portrayal of Antep and the Turkish border towns seemed to come from a place of intimate knowledge on the author's part, which was nice to read. The characters were also very deeply drawn and had complex relations with each other that I can only just begin to untangle. The writing style was also quite sophisticated and really fit the somber mood of the story very well.
However, the story dragged a bit towards the middle, and if it wasn't for the audiobook it probably would have taken me forever to get through it. Despite that, this book was a good portrayal of people made broken and listless by a horrific war.
For me, the most interesting aspect of this book was how it dealt thematically with the idea of borders. Of course, there is the physical border between Turkey and Syria that the main character, Haris, is trying to cross. But there are also evident borders (or barriers) between each of the characters because none of them completely understands the feelings and motivations of the others. As a result of this, Haris often ends up completely misreading people and situations. The idea of crossing a border seems simple enough, but the trials and tribulations that Haris goes through to try to cross the actual border mirrors how difficult it is to cross the barriers people put up between themselves.
The portrayal of Antep and the Turkish border towns seemed to come from a place of intimate knowledge on the author's part, which was nice to read. The characters were also very deeply drawn and had complex relations with each other that I can only just begin to untangle. The writing style was also quite sophisticated and really fit the somber mood of the story very well.
However, the story dragged a bit towards the middle, and if it wasn't for the audiobook it probably would have taken me forever to get through it. Despite that, this book was a good portrayal of people made broken and listless by a horrific war.