Manjeet Mann

Representation: Black characters
Trigger warnings: Death of children in a boating accident and a mother in the past from cancer, refugee experiences, physical assault and injury, hospitalisation, racism, grief and loss depiction, bullying
Score: Six and a half points out of ten.
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I saw The Crossing circling my recommendations for a while but when I saw the library has it, I seized the opportunity to get it by picking it up. I checked the ratings and reviews which seemed high so I headed in with equally high expectations. I soon started reading it, but when I finished it, I enjoyed it but The Crossing is not without flaws.

It starts with the first two characters I see, Nat and Sammy, living their separate lives, with the former living miserably in England after losing her mother to cancer and her brother to right-wing extremism, and the latter living a worse life in Eritrea. According to the blurb, Nat's only refuge is swimming, so that explains why she likes that so much. Sammy alongside his friend, Tesfay, long to go to Europe to escape the atrocious place they live in all while I see Nat's life go on a downward spiral with the housing crisis in full effect.

Here's where The Crossing shines: it is one of the few pieces of literature that gets poetry right. Most authors try to do poetry but all they do is press the Enter key many times and call it 'poetry.' Fortunately, The Crossing doesn't do that as it utilised ingenious literary devices to keep me reading, especially the transitions between the lives of Sammy and Nat. However, I don't get why a non-Black person had to write about a Black person. They're both minorities but they're so different from each other it doesn't feel authentic. At least there's no white saviourism. Sammy starts his journey to Europe by first going to Sudan, then the Sahara Desert and finally the Mediterranean Sea.

That last place I mentioned is the most difficult section thus far for Sammy and Tesfay; unfortunately, the latter died as he was lost to the sea, much to the former's dismay. Nat gathers the courage to attempt to swim the English Channel which is a feat in and of itself but when she does that, she sees Sammy and feels like she knows him. Meanwhile, Sammy sadly succumbs to the water on the final leg of the expedition to Europe, finishing The Crossing on a bittersweet note. There's a side plot point about Nat's brother committing a hate crime and getting imprisoned but that wasn't necessary.… (más)

CW: Domestic abuse, alcoholism, mention of honour killings, anxiety, bullying, mental health issues

“One day I will change the world. Not only for my younger sister and my daughter, but for all women. I will lay the foundations and change the world.”

Well that was a painful and emotional but ultimately empowering verse novel.

I think the author did a remarkable job of drawing Readers into the story. When the main characters hurt so did I, when they were made to feel small I cried, and when they raged I was right there with them raising my fist. I think having multiple women narrate the story was amazing because we saw the generational differences in the ways the women thought and felt about their place within their community, and their expectations for the future. It also looks at the cultural clashes that can occur when first generation children grow up in society vastly different from that of their parents. I liked the dichotomy between the ‘father’ and the ‘respected community leader’. Through this the author really shone a light on how certain unacceptable behaviours can be hidden from public view. From my understanding this is an own voice story so I again feel privileged to have had a glimpse into a culture different to my own. An emotional story about abused women who rise and rebel.

Note: I think this needs to be read as opposed to listened to as I suspect there are some visual text elements that are part of the storytelling as is often the case in free verse novels.

4.5 Stars… (más)