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Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
In Jared Morrison’s The Crossing, a struggling marketing executive, Ben Regan, looks back on the final year of his best friend, Taylor Thorne, a struggling screenwriter whose luck changes when a woman named Natalie Pierce shows up briefly at the corner of Sunset and Marmont, claiming she's crossed over from a parallel world. From that moment on, Taylor's screenplay becomes a worldwide sensation. The love story he writes is about crossing worlds, and it is hard to tell if it is about his story with Natalie or fiction. The world-hopping, secret romance unfolds alongside Ben’s simmering resentment, and it builds to a fatal accident at the same intersection where Taylor first met Natalie. After Taylor’s death, Ben goes through the screenplay he left behind, seeking answers.
Jared Morrison tells the story through Ben’s wry voice, blending what happens on screen with real events and leaving readers wondering what's real. What fascinated me about this book is the originality of concept. The idea is bold and skillfully executed, and the idea that two people from two different dimensions can fall in love is wild but absolutely intriguing. The dialogue engages you throughout the story. The characters are well-developed and believable. Ben comes across as a man whose voice is laced with guilt. Taylor can be infuriating most of the time, but he is lovable. Natalie feels genuinely human rather than a plot device. The Crossing features worldbuilding that charms with the small details, such as a parallel Los Angeles with live oaks instead of palms and a Blockbuster as a streaming giant. I enjoyed the gorgeous writing and the well-executed romance. It is a tender, funny, and devastating story that will leave you believing we should love people while we can.
