Cross Roads by Wm. Paul Young

Publisher: FaithWorks
Publish Date: November 13, 2012
Format: Hardcover
Pages 287
ISBN: 978 1455516049

Anthony Spencer is egotistical, proud of being a self-made business success at the peak of his game, even though the cost of winning was painfully high.  A cerebral hemorrhage leaves Tony comatose in a hospital ICU.  He ‘awakens’ to find himself in a surreal world, a ‘living’ landscape that mirrors dimensions of his earthly life, from the beautiful to the corrupt.  It is here that he has vivid interactions with others he assumes are projections of his own subconscious, but whose directions he follows nonetheless with the possibility that they might lead to the authenticity and perhaps, redemption.  The adventure draws Tony into deep relational entanglements where he is able to ‘see’ through the literal eyes and experiences of others, but is “blind” to the consequences of hiding his personal agenda and loss that emerges to war against the processes of healing and trust. Will this unexpected coalescing of events cause Tony to examine his life and realize he built a house of cards on the poisoned grounds of a broken heart?  Will he also have the courage to make a critical choice that can undo a major injustice he set in motion before falling into a coma?

My Thoughts

When I first read The Shack I had very mixed feelings about it.  I used to think it was just okay but now I have great respect for the novel and the author.  It brought a new meaning to my life and it was a breakthrough for millions of others.  When I found out Young had a second book that branched away from The Shack I was very excited to read it.  I don't know what I was expecting when I started this book but I was hopeful that it would be a new and fresh idea.  This one is very similar to his first book in that the Holy Trinity is the starting role.  As I progressed with this read I found it to get a bit tiresome and it seemed to be the same theme.  I found the only difference to be in The Shack you rooted for Mack from the beginning and in Cross Roads Tony was the villain who might of gotten what he deserved.

While both novels were about self discovery and self acceptance, it took much longer to root for Tony.  I also felt like I had to take a more imaginative approach to Tony's story.  What I have come to expect from Young is a compelling and thought provoking story.  I feel like this fell a bit flat to me.  It was full of "filler" and I felt like the story could have been 100 pages less.  Sometimes I was just confused at what the point the author was trying to get across.

It wasn't a horrible read, but I'm not sure if it is something I recommend to others.  It is one of those in between books that I can't love but can't hate.  

My Rating: «««

Buy it Now!

The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Shack by Wm Paul Young

Publisher: Windblown Media
Publish Date: June 2008
Pages: -
Format: Kobo
ISBN: 978- 0964729292

Mackenzie Allen Phillips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.  Four years later in the midst of his “Great Sadness,” Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgement he arrives at the shack on a wintery afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare.  What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.

My Thoughts

This was a very challenging book to read, so much that I read half in May and the other half today.  You have to break it into two stories: the actual novel and the theological.

I had a tough time rating this one; first it was a 4, then a 2 then settled on 3.  There were parts that I really liked, parts that were ok and some parts left me thinking wtf? (Can I say that about a spiritual novel?)  I've been very back and forth about my feelings towards this book.  In my opinion it was not a well written novel, and seemed to be a little over the place and in a sense just sloppy.  I had very high hopes for this one and it fell a bit short.

The other aspect that I didn't like, and again this is just my personal opinion and preference, is I like closure at the end.  I'm not one of these people likes a storyline left "open for interpretation."  I prefer to have a  "pull me in" beginning, climactical middle and a drawing conclusion and delivered to me on beautiful crisp pages (or in this case neatly on my ereader.)  I'm not one to sit and have discussions on what I think happened in the end...although this is what I'm finding myself doing with a colleague.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.  

My Rating: «««

Buy it Now!

The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.