Saturday, January 20, 2018

Review:The Crossing by Jason Mott

The Crossing by Jason Mott

Jason Mott has done it again with another captivating read, The Crossing, set in a dystopian world where a disease has eaten at the human race by rendering those affected forever sleep. That's right. I know we all have had a moment where we wonder if we go to sleep, will we wake again. This title is along the same lines of The Returned in terms of the matters in life and death, except the focus here is the other end of the spectrum where those who are healthy just die in their sleep, never to return.
As the world unfolds into war and terror, Virginia and Tommy embark on a journey to see a space launch headed towards Europa. Europa is a distant moon that could perhaps lead to a new place to inhabit for those not affected with The Disease. By the time they begin this trek, the Disease was already in its tenth year and 20% of the world's population had been affected. 

Virginia and Tommy are twins whose parents died before the Disease could take them, but the memory of them is alive and well in Virginia. She's a remarkably bright 17 year old who's unable to forget anything. Her brilliance is a gift and a curse for her. She primarily narrates the story, but as the journey unfolds, and they meet some interesting characters (to say the least), it becomes hard to like her.

Although Virginia's well developed and intriguing, she might be the only thing keeping this novel from a 5-star rating. No that's not fair. I'm just stingy with my 5-stars, is all. But seriously, I just wanted to strangle her at times, yet I can't imagine what hell she's going through as the world crumbles around her.

She uses The Memory Gospel to recount the way life was before the Disease. The only problem with the Memory Gospel is that the memories it contains are hers and hers alone. These memories are her own perspective which seems detached at times. Although she loves her brother Tommy, her ability to disconnect from emotions makes her seem cold and distant. She's knows this yet can't help herself. The curse of her inability to forget anything is that she will remember all the good and the bad and this makes her cynical at times. There are moments I felt genuinely sorry for Virginia as she narrates, but mostly I was hoping she could rise to the occasion and be a better person. For Tommy's sake at least.

As Tommy and Virginia run towards the launch, in the hopes of witnessing what might possibly be the last act of what life was like before the Disease. Preservation is one of the strongest themes in The Crossing. Preserving normalcy, creativity, hope, love, and life. Preserving a future and hoping that the memories of life before the Disease, can be found again.

The Crossing will really resonate with readers. Jason Mott writes well with an uncomplicated story full of emotion with a hint of suspense. To say I enjoyed The Crossing would be an understatement.Yes this novel was a quick read for me, I found myself highlighting, or rereading excerpts I found most moving. What I've taken from this book is that often times is that our memories can be a gift. These memories can help us through tough times but the art of forgetting is a blessing that shouldn't be taken for granted.  ****

Copy provided by Harlequin via Netgalley

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