Crossings

I actually finished this book several months ago, but have been debating on how to write this review.

This was by far my favorite book that I read during 2021. It is one of those books that has really stuck with me and I tell all of my friends and family about when someone asks me for a book recommendation.

For Christmas, I gifted two of these to two different family members, and convinced a third to give it a go, if that tells you anything about how much I loved this book.

I stumbled upon this gem completely by chance in my local B&N. The cover looked intriguing, and I opened the book to the first page – after the preface but before the start of the first chapter. There was only about half a page of writing, but it sold me on the book in all of 2 minutes.

When I checked out, the book seller even commented on this book specifically (out of the 10 that I was purchasing that day). She told me she loved the book and she was in the process of re-reading it…

The way this book is written is fascinating. There are two ways the reader can experience the story – the traditional way by reading front to back, or by what is dubbed “the Baronness sequence” where the reader follows a provided page sequence.

This review is based on the Baronness sequence.

First off, you MUST read the preface. It sets the stage for the entire novel and impacts the way the story reads.

It’s difficult to explain what this book is about, but I’ll do my best to give you an idea…

There are 3 short stories bound together by a bookbinder after he was commissioned by an old friend, the Baronness. Before he’s able to complete the commission, the Baronness is murdered (don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler – you’re told this literally 3 pages into the preface). The bookbinder and all of his curiousity decides to read the book the way it is bound – from front to back. His wife, when she deigns to read the book, realizes there are handwritten numbers in the book that the Baronness intentionally added to the first page – this is what is known as the Baronness sequence.

The short stories, if one follows the Baronness sequence, all mesh together in a way that is initially difficult to follow, but begins to connect and fall in to place in a haunting, autobiographical (to the fictional Baronness, that is) tale with an ending that is satisfyingly open-ended.

Her murder is both solved and unsolved by the end of it, and to understand what I mean, you’ll just have to go and read it yourself.

Never before in my life have I ever read a book that has made me feel so content with an ending that is technically inconclusive, which is why it gets the 5/5 stars.

***If you liked this review, consider following me on goodreads and BookBub!***

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

*Purchase Crossings on Amazon