Crossroads by Laurel Hightower
5 out of 5 stars
Chris is a woman deep in grief. Her only son, Trey, was killed in a tragic car accident, and she’s never been the same. Part of her died that day, too. She has daily visits Trey’s roadside memorial, located at a crossroads, directly under the tree he hit. Like many people who have lost loved ones, she tells him about her day during her visits and leaves flowers and trinkets behind. When the book opens, we find Chris during one of these visits preparing to leave. She’s telling Trey a story and imagining his responses when she cuts her finger. A drop of blood falls to the ground and is immediately soaked up by the dirt. That night, Chris wakes from a deep sleep only to find Trey outside her window. They look at each other for a while, communicating via facial expression and body language, but after not nearly enough time, Trey turns to leave. Chris is overcome by the high of seeing her dead son, so she chases that high by intentionally cutting herself again at the memorial and leaving blood in the dirt. Her sacrifice pays off because that night, outside her window, is Trey. Chris continues to visit the crossroads memorial, leaving small sacrifices to visit with her son. Chris begins to play a dangerous game of escalation to have more time with her son.
Crossroads is a tough book to read because, as a parent, you can see yourself in Chris. Every time Chris decides to escalate, you can see why and understand. That’s the absolute brilliance of this book and what makes horror like this so magical, it is relatable. Hightower’s writing is beautiful, crisp, and tight, containing nothing but the essential. The characters are well-done and feel like real people with history and lives of their own. I loved them all, especially Chris and Dan. With only two books under her belt, Laurel Hightower has taken her place on my list of auto-buy authors. If she doesn’t have a place on your shelf, you need to rectify that situation immediately.
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