My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen offers profound echoes of Rick Moody’s Ice Storm. Although Crossroads is presented across a much grander scale, with a deeper focused psychological exploration of the main characters than Ice Storm, the real differentiator has to be its thought-provoking engagement with spirituality. In addition, the use of various voices is clever and well-implemented – each character’s perspective is distinct and cleverly interwoven with a unique voice – credit to Franzen.
The only niggling criticism from me is a perceptible rise in tempo and speed at which time passes in the denouement, the purpose of which is difficult to deduce. Although the reader is ready to find a suitable conclusion to a longer book, the far less narrative detail provided after the ‘climax’ just seems not to respect the depth of change to the characters’ lives.
Nonetheless, this is an absolutely engaging read. The author plays out the backstory for the characters throughout, cleverly and intending to maintain the readers’ curiosity throughout. Unfortunately, I failed to develop empathy for the characters. Still, I found their tales and perspectives fascinating – and as an interwoven tale, most excellent.