The Crossing: A Book Review
I’d seen this book about, at my library and the local Waterstones, when I finally decided buy it from a second hand book stall and boy, was I in for a treat!
The Crossing
by Manjeet Mann
“Promise me you’ll always speak up, Nat.”
Nat is still struggling with the death of her mum when she decides to swim the channel. Sammy has been force to flee his home in Eritrea and now is on a dangerous and tumultuous path as travels looking for refuge in England. The two have never met yet both of their stories tell of such universal human experiences like loss, love, grief, pain, suffering, hope and inner strength.
Wow, what a deeply sorrowful yet joyful experience this read is! This book told in verse is truly filled with goodies. The characters feel so real that you seem live the story yourself through them. You bond the characters over the course of the book, growing to care for them and share their heartbreak on this emotional rollercoaster. The plot moves so quickly you rarely have time to catch your breath as Sammy and Nat both wrestle with their situations. Mann’s description is on point as she uses her verse to look at the small yet important details through a microscope amplifying them to the reader. Overall I loved this story and I would say I am much better for having read it too as it is one of those books that makes you sit back and examine life. There was a small detail at the end which I did not enjoy just in terms of my personal preference of storytelling choices however I do understand that it made the book more poignant. 4.5/5 stars!
Thanks for reading!
Hetty Monksea
