Book Review of

Spirit Crossing

by William Kent Krueger

August 10, 2024

As always, to sit in a quiet place to read a book written by William Kent Krueger is a lot like preparing for a long-awaited family member to return home. Etchings of joy dance around your spirit in anticipation, a soothing light fills your eyes, and the melodious and cacophony of music threaded through this novel both soothe and disturb your soul.

People often concern themselves only with the world around them, rarely venturing out to investigate the goings-on outside their purview. It’s like walking out of a Walmart store and gazing at the black and white posters of the missing, pausing slightly, before moving on to put your keys in the ignition.

Something inside you changes after reading Spirit Crossing. It’s profound. Provocative. Unsettling. Repetitive. Mindful. Disturbing. Could it be the realism coming from the events surrounding the story?

Indeed.

By the time the story ended, I was left with this one question: How can I solve the problem of prejudice, sexual abuse, other’s murderous intent, children who have lost their way? The question is so overwhelming I almost lost perspective on what I could do, which is to work with one individual at a time. When I see something, say something; not walk away helpless.

The ending of Spirit Crossing was as moving as its beginning, leaving you with a myriad of emotions you can’t control or identify until days later. The story moves fast, filled with action-packed events. There are too many characters to count, and I almost needed to create a ledger to keep up with them. Krueger doesn’t waste time overloading you with feely-touchy thoughts. He’s on a mission … to exploit the facts … that we are prejudice and bent on putting others beneath ourselves for the sole purpose of supporting the misguided theory that we are superior.

He also doesn’t shy away from exposing the carelessness of grownups who have changed the hopeful future of precious children. The ill behavior of grown people who are commissioned to care for the helpless can often weave webs of confusion and anger, leaving these precious babies without an outlet—except to impose their trauma upon others, which they sometimes do, which is why some are psychological disturbed, addicted, incarcerated, or killed.

At the end of Spirit Crossing, you will undoubtedly face your prejudice and be left to deal with it. Surprisingly, you’ll find yourself at a crossroad. Wait for it— Whatever you feel toward others will also be reciprocated toward you. If you don’t nurture your children, they will in turn absorb and impose your evil behavior upon others. And there lies the world’s dilemma … a repetitive conundrum we can’t seem to break.

Though I do not consider the writing to be Krueger’s best, the substance of the story saves. And that’s the point.

by Donna B. Comeaux

Author