Crossing

The critically acclaimed novel about two young men on a fearless journey across cities, borders and identities Imagine . . . we can do anything now, we can be anyone, we can go anywhere Bujar's world is collapsing. His father is dying and his homeland, Albania, bristles with hunger and unrest. When his fearless friend Agim is discovered wearing his mother's red dress and beaten with his father's belt, he persuades Bujar that there is no place for them in their country. Desperate for a chance to shape their own lives, they flee. This is the beginning of a journey across cities, borders and identities, from the bazaars of Tirana to the monuments of Rome and the drag bars of New York. It is also a search through shifting gender and social personae, for acceptance and love. But faced with marginalization at home and only precarious means of escape and survival, what chance do the young pair have of forging a new life? Pursued by memories of home and echoes of folk tales, they risk losing themselves in the struggle to leave their pasts behind. Pajtim Statovci (b. 1990) is a Finnish-Kosovan novelist. He moved from Kosovo to Finland with his family when he was two years old. He is currently a Ph.D candidate at the University of Helsinki. His first novel, My Cat Yugoslavia, also published by Pushkin Press, won the prestigious Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize. Crossing won the Toisinkoinen Literature Prize in 2016 and, Statovci also won the 2018 Helsinki Writer of the Year Award.

About the Author :
Pajtim Statovci (b. 1990) is a Finnish-Kosovan novelist. He moved from Kosovo to Finland with his family when he was two years old. He is currently a Ph.D candidate at the University of Helsinki. His first novel, My Cat Yugoslavia, also published by Pushkin Press, won the prestigious Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize. Crossing won the Toisinkoinen Literature Prize in 2016 and, Statovci also won the 2018 Helsinki Writer of the Year Award.

Review :
A strikingly modern narrative where oppression is not just political but lived in the body Crossing will devour you; this is some fierce, dazzling, and heartbreaking shit Mesmerising... beautiful, haunting and brilliant Crossing is a novel that dazzles and mesmerizes Stunning... a powerful phoenix of a book that rises from the ashes of the previous century Anyone who has ever known what it's like to leave home in pursuit of happiness and belonging will most likely love this tender, beautiful novel as much as I did Everything, and I mean everything, is threatened with devastation and loss, but Pajtim Statovci's prose, the quality of his seeing and remembering, promises to save an invaluable part for all of us Statovci's prose is mesmerising Crossing is full of insights and thought-provoking reflection Raw and lyrical A beautifully tragic and contemporary story, told without concessions. It resonates somehow with any of us who is fighting the double battle of exile and sexual identity. I found it very sincere in its raw, brutal end, where his destiny seems to return to the starting point, home, with a heavy load of life guilt and sorrow, he will remain an exile one way or the other Statovci's prose is slyly artful The brutal beauty of Crossing comes from its almost cellular understanding of belonging and exclusion, love and cruelty. It is a powerful phoenix of a book that rises from the ashes of the previous century. It speaks to the sins of the fathers, which the children must transcend by crossing to the other side - or perish Profoundly unsettling but beautifully written and translated... just read it, ok? You'll feel better for having done so ... sad and searching ... Statovci uses no magic-realist elements here, and with its stark language, unanswered questions, and unrelenting heartbreak, this may be the more poignant of his powerful novels Crossing arrives at a moment when many of us have grown suspicious of monolithic categories -- gay, straight, Finnish, Albanian, man, woman -- and have begun to recognize how inadequate such labels are to encompass the reality of individual lives. The novel memorably portrays the pain those labels can cause; it also suggests that we may not be able to live without them Statovci interweaves traditional folklore and myth into what is a deeply modern story, which criss-crosses countries and cultures, from Albania and Rome to New York The writing itself is so gorgeous that it's easy to follow Statovci down uncertain paths Immerses readers in contemporary issues of nationalism, borders, identity and shame... Beguiling... A centrifugal story told with great sensitivity and empathy, highlighting Statovci's development as a leading voice in modern European literature