Dark at the Crossing by Elliot Ackerman (2024)

Very good book that details the horrors that are Aleppo and why people are compelled to either get there or leave the place. Relevant, horrifying, and sad, but still a book about the passions that drive us and what we are willing to risk for that passion. Good read. ( )

swbesecker | Feb 28, 2022 |

There are a lot of themes in this book: the pointlessness of war, guilt over life choices that affect others, grief, religion and morality. Sometimes trying to do the right thing leads you nowhere. In short, this is a rather depressing book. Considering the subject matter, though, I felt the book lacked some depth. Audio narration was quite good, though. ( )

redwritinghood38 | Nov 6, 2018 |

I think that in the places in this novel that the author was depicting the conflicts and ambiguities of war, it was incredibly effective; in the places where the author was depicting relationships between specific people, it fell short. ( )

NeedMoreShelves | Sep 9, 2018 |

This is a great book that I never quite got into. Even without being fully engaged, however, I was able to appreciate some of the truly stunning scenes that make up this book. It was a 3 1/2 star read for me, but I'm upgrading to 4 because I've been in a mood the last few days and that makes me a harsher grader. ( )

GaylaBassham | May 27, 2018 |

Haris Abadi is an Iraqi by birth, American by gratitude. As an interpreter, his duty is blurred by emotion which leads to regret. Perhaps to set things right, he chooses to return to the Middle East and become a fighter for the Free Syrian Army. He meets Daphne and Amir who also struggle with events in their past and together they work to achieve their desires and cross the border back into Syria but the war is far reaching and filled with deception, revenge and betrayal. There is no place for naivete and the gullible. One needs to know where they're convictions lie, who the enemy is, what they are fighting and why. This story had an unexpected though not fulfilling conclusion and serves to reiterate just how ongoing and complicated this war can be. ( )

1

Carmenere | Oct 8, 2017 |