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A Novel
by Megan Giddings
Book Reviewed by:From the award-winning, critically-acclaimed author of Lakewood and The Women Could Fly, a dazzling novel about two brilliant sisters and what happens to their undeniable bond when a mysterious and possibly perilous new world beckons.
On an ordinary summer morning, the world is changed by the appearance of seven mysterious doors that seemingly lead to another world. People are, of course, mesmerized and intrigued: A new dimension filled with beauty and resources beckons them to step into an adventure. But, perhaps inevitably, people soon learn that what looks like paradise may very well be filled with danger.
Ayanna and Olivia, two Black midwestern teens—and twin sisters—have different ideas of what may lie in the world beyond. But will their personal bond endure such wanton exploration? And when one of them goes missing, will the other find solace on her own? And will she uncover the circumstances of what truly happened to her once constant companion and best friend?
Megan Giddings brings her customarily brilliant and eye-opening powers of storytelling to give us a narrative that dazzles the senses and bewitches the mind. Meet Me at the Crossroads is an unforgettable novel about faith, love, and family from one of today's most exciting and surprising young writers.
1
No person saw the doors appear; that honor was reserved for a polar bear crunching a seal bloody, a murmuration making its clouds in the sky above the earth, a pair of black kites searching out grasshoppers in the soon-to-be kindling grass, a coati who had been asleep in the midday's heat with its paws on its black snout, and a dog preoccupied with finding the rotting carcass it couldn't stop smelling. The animals, not understanding these things were doors, yet understanding they were not of this world, quickly left the area. Later, different people would go on television so intoxicated by the attention they were receiving that they were able to smile wide as they exaggerated and spewed out conflicting details. Some claimed to have heard a great voice coming from the air, encouraging them to announce the arrival. Others saw burning bushes singing loud the end of days. And one man, a farmer from mid-Michigan, was blunt and matter-of-fact in his perfidy. He was fertilizing soybeans, and...
When the parents of twin sisters Ayanna and Olivia divorce, each takes primary custody of one daughter. Though both girls are growing up Black in the Midwest, their upbringings could not be more different. Years before the twins' birth, mysterious doors sprang up around the world, each offering a glimpse into a different spiritual realm. They reveal stunning, surreal landscapes and what appear to be spirits. This is not a straightforward fantasy adventure novel. It's both deeper and quieter than that, asking how a person can go on after the worst has happened. By integrating fantastical elements into a story about the loss of a loved one, the author allows the reader to see this common experience with fresh eyes. Framing loss as something mysterious and otherworldly shines a spotlight on how terrible and isolating grief can be. While Giddings' novel may not deliver a clear-cut hero's journey, it has something else to offer, a quality it shares with many great books: a sense of connection and hope...continued
Full Review
(646 words)
(Reviewed by Jillian Bell).
In Megan Giddings' novel Meet Me at the Crossroads, magical doors appear around the world, offering an entry into another dimension. The modern portal fantasy genre, where a magical entryway leads to another world, dates back to classic works like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Alice in Wonderland. But as novelist and critic Alice Nuttall points out, portal fantasies "arguably predate the novel form itself; legends about travels between the Nine Realms in Viking mythology, or journeys to the land of fairies in Celtic myths, could be viewed as early portal fantasies." Where exactly the magical portal transports the characters is left up to the author, which has led to a huge variety of innovative stories. Here are ...
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