BOOK REVIEW | CROSSROADS | LAUREL HIGHTOWER

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

How far would you go to bring back someone you love?

When Chris's son dies in a tragic car crash, her world is devastated. The walls of grief close in on Chris's life until, one day, a small cut on her finger changes everything.

 A drop of blood falls from Chris's hand onto her son's roadside memorial and, later that night, Chris thinks she sees his ghost outside her window. Only, is it really her son's ghost, or is it something else—something evil?

Soon Chris is playing a dangerous game with forces beyond her control in a bid to see her son, Trey, alive once again.

REVIEW

In Crossroads, Laurel Hightower explores the bond between mother and son and what obsession will lead to.

Whilst driving his car, Chris’s son dies in a terrible crash. Bereft with grief, Chris has learnt to live with the grief and the hole that the death of her son has left in her life.

Watching a reality TV programme one night, she comes across the story of Robert Johnson and the legend of him selling is soul to the devil. This leads her to wondering if there is any truth in the story.   Visiting his roadside memorial one day she spills blood at the crossroads, which results in  her being visited by the shade of her dead son. It tells her that if she wants to bring her son back, she needs to make a sacrifice, and he will be returned to the land of the living.

Chris’s sacrifices start small, but eventually she comes to a juncture and the decision that she makes will have massive ramifications to her life.

Crossroads is a novella originally released in 2020. In the book, Hightower powerfully explores the bond between mother and son.

The prose is tightly written, but it is the characterisation that stands out. Whilst you may not necessarily condone the actions that Chris takes; it is easy to understand her reasoning. In addition to that, that supporting characters are also well drawn, particularly Dan, Chris’s love interest. Whilst Chris makes the decisions that she makes, Dan quietly supports her, never questioning her reasons. At times you think he is enabling her decisions,but you soon realise that he is actually trying to subtly support her and help her through whatever she is going through.

Crossroads is a powerful novella of loss and grief that immediately draws the reader into the story.

Update:

Originally released in 2020, Crossroads has been picked up by Shortwave publishing with a new cover by Alan Lastufka.