Border Crossing

Here is a book i recently finished. I wouldn't go out of your way, but should it fall into your lap.

Border Crossing

Written by Pat Barker, of Regeneration fame, this is quite a different tale to the stories of deserters and poets that she spun for that trilogy. Here we watch as a child psychologist Tom is brought back into contact with a child murderer, Danny, he helped get sent to jail for killing the local “cat lady.” Years after the child’s release, the psychologist happens to save the boy (now a young man) from drowning near his home. But is it merely coincidence?

This was a very well written book that flowed lyrically, but lacked a real punch or story. It kind of drifted around, like the main character searching for the reality behind the child murderer, yet at the same time it all seems to be leading nowhere. The narrator wandered into a divorce and drifted around the United Kingdom tracking down people who had interacted with Tom at some point during his imprisonment. It is a cast straight out of any British pot boiled story, except they all have an erudite edge meaning that they are teachers, psychologists and coppers in the Inspector Morse sense of the word.

Survey says: the book never seemed to climax, and the fact that it was a very easy read that still took me weeks to read is an ominous sign. I also purchased it for a dollar or so, so I suppose that could be perceived as a bad sign (though I am usually pretty good about finding diamonds in the rough). Don’t go out of your way, but if you feel for a well written British story, why not?