Crossing to Safety

Some months ago I began reading a book that I never finished. It was called The End of Your Life Book Club, which is about a family that reads books together as their mother dies of cancer. Although I didn't get very far into the book, I got far enough to read a lot of praise for Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. I'd had another of Stegner's books, Angle of Repose, suggested to me previously, and I knew that Stegner was the favorite author of some of my most literate relatives, so I figured I'd give this one a try. I'm really pleased that I did. Crossing to Safety turned out to be a beautiful book about the power of enduring friendship in helping to cope with the joys and tragedies of life with grace and compassion.

Crossing to Safety has an exceptionally simple premise: two young married couples form a lifelong friendship, and ride the ups and downs of life together. The book is unconventional in that there is no antagonist or huge conflict at the center of things. It's tension is simply the tension of ordinary living: illness, unemployment, war, death. But the joys of ordinary living are there too: births, weddings, successes, laughter, and love. The book doesn't attempt to idealize the relationships in the story. There is tension between friends and between families, but it is never overly dramatic or destructive. Stegner writes beautifully, and has a keen ability to describe ordinary things with a clarity and charm that never comes across as disingenuous. His writing feels like a combination of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. His prose is clean and concise, yet vividly descriptive and lush.

This book was truly excellent, and anyone who believes in the power of friendship and the joy of everyday life will benefit from and enjoy reading it.

Score:9/10
Read this book if: You want something that is calm and gentle with a measured degree of hope and joy.
Don't read this book if: You want a strong central conflict and a clear and direct plot.