A review by coco_lolo
Crossing by Pajtim Statovci

3.0

I'm rather torn on this book. The writing was phenomenal, and what especially impressed me was that this is a translated work. And I liked the focus on cultural and sexual identity as seen through Bujar and Agim, how this impacts the way they view the world and the way the world views them. The ambiguity behind who was narrating the even-numbered sections kept me reading to find out what happened to separate the boys; this also led to where I felt a little iffy, as the revelation didn't carry the type of emotional impact I think Statovci was aiming for. I enjoyed the chapters set in the past more so than the present-day sections, although I've read various reviews discussing how the book is not respectful or accurate toward Albania. I also found the last section meandering, so my interest lessened in part because of this and because, while I don't think we're meant to like the narrator, I had trouble sympathizing with him as the novel progressed.