A review by ispeakbooknerd
Crossings by Alex Landragin
4.0
Crossings by Alex Landragin is a book that begs to be read at least twice. The reader can go through page by page or read through it as the Baroness requested. Page-by-page, the reader will find three short stories/sections. With the Baroness method, it's one novel. I debated and, admittedly, went back and forth between the two methods for the better part of a day before choosing to go the page-by-page route; it was the only way to soothe my obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
The novel is described as being genre bending. This is accurate. It's a love story, historical fiction, fantasy (?), adventure, mystery, and towards the end especially, a thriller. It's a remarkable debut. I would go so far as to classify as akin to genius. I have never read a story that can be read in different orders. I had never even considered it a possibility.
Each section/short story is connected by a few things, some of which are as simple as hibiscus flowers and eyes. Even the preface of the book is connected in this manner. So, although the reader might presume they won't be related, they actually are. The first two sections are told by one narrator, and the third by the beloved of the narrator of the first two sections.
The writing is good, not too flowery, but there is a tendency to digress, making it feel like the book is taking longer to read. I did not want to put it down, however. There are many French references, which might throw off readers.
The world building was quite good. The depth of the main character in each section/short story was fabulous. My brain will still be working on connecting puzzle pieces for a while. I love the what-if aspect of the book.
This is a debut that is worth the time it takes to read. It has aspects of several genres, and thus I would recommend it to readers who have an open mind, because it -is- genre bending and not all the genres it touches upon will be to everyone's tastes. I look forward to future works by Landragin.
The novel is described as being genre bending. This is accurate. It's a love story, historical fiction, fantasy (?), adventure, mystery, and towards the end especially, a thriller. It's a remarkable debut. I would go so far as to classify as akin to genius. I have never read a story that can be read in different orders. I had never even considered it a possibility.
Each section/short story is connected by a few things, some of which are as simple as hibiscus flowers and eyes. Even the preface of the book is connected in this manner. So, although the reader might presume they won't be related, they actually are. The first two sections are told by one narrator, and the third by the beloved of the narrator of the first two sections.
The writing is good, not too flowery, but there is a tendency to digress, making it feel like the book is taking longer to read. I did not want to put it down, however. There are many French references, which might throw off readers.
The world building was quite good. The depth of the main character in each section/short story was fabulous. My brain will still be working on connecting puzzle pieces for a while. I love the what-if aspect of the book.
This is a debut that is worth the time it takes to read. It has aspects of several genres, and thus I would recommend it to readers who have an open mind, because it -is- genre bending and not all the genres it touches upon will be to everyone's tastes. I look forward to future works by Landragin.