A review by professorbadger
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Often the books that I enjoy most are those with a strong sense of place, the kind that transport you while you’re reading and leave you with a slightly unsettled feeling of “traveling back home” once you’re done. This book was set in the salt marshes near Norfolk (the English one, not the VA one) and gave me that feeling of being there in person in the marsh.
Many of the bad reviews here seem to be based on certain elements of the story rather than the writing itself — eg, there was a weird through line of talking about the main character’s weight (I assume the author wanted more weight diversity in novels but didn’t do a great job of carrying that out) and also several instances of infidelity. Writing-wise, the pacing and plot and character seemed well done. The main character had a strong presence, enough that I would like to read more in her series and see what she gets up to next. My library has 20 other e-books by the same author and most have wait times, so I’m hoping that’s a sign that it’s all uphill from here. So, in short, it wasn’t a perfect book but enjoyable enough, and I’m looking forward to checking out more in the series.
Many of the bad reviews here seem to be based on certain elements of the story rather than the writing itself — eg, there was a weird through line of talking about the main character’s weight (I assume the author wanted more weight diversity in novels but didn’t do a great job of carrying that out) and also several instances of infidelity. Writing-wise, the pacing and plot and character seemed well done. The main character had a strong presence, enough that I would like to read more in her series and see what she gets up to next. My library has 20 other e-books by the same author and most have wait times, so I’m hoping that’s a sign that it’s all uphill from here. So, in short, it wasn’t a perfect book but enjoyable enough, and I’m looking forward to checking out more in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Animal death
Moderate: Fatphobia and Child death