Review of The Cross Road

[That Reviewer]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Cross Road" by Diane Howard.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Amiee Dauphine, a young gothic artist in Diane Howard's The Cross Road, was embittered towards her mother. Despite her grandmother filling the 'mother' role in her life, she still could not get over the hate. Her grandmother had taught her about Jesus Christ and his constant availability to save those who called on him.

As Amiee's life began to take a downturn, Pastor Daniel Keller came into her life. He devoted time and prayers to help the troubled young woman with her demons. Daniel had perceived a spiritual battle ongoing for Amiee's soul, but he knew Amiee's cooperation was needed to achieve victory. Would Amiee be devoured in this spiritual battle, or would she overcome it?

Diane Howard's writing style mirrored her passionate dedication to the message she sought to pass with The Cross Road. With simple language, a calm tone, and a good structure, the author explained her idea and the book's purpose.

One of the major themes that the book presented was an exposition on the negative consequences of fame. Through Amiee's life, Diane showed readers that fame was as transient as life and can never provide sustainable satisfaction for those who rely on it. Diane also hinted at a social issue that surrounded journalism and its twisted use in today's world. Instead of being devoted to truth, journalism became a tool of sale for the powers that be.

The author used art to symbolize and showcase the battle for humanity's soul and how individuals' gifts and talents could be used for God's glory. Asides from art, the book was filled with many other symbols. The book's title symbolized the Christian's journey to Christ, fraught with pain and suffering. Amiee's grandmother was also a symbol of how a Christian should be. The characters in Amiee's dreams also represented the frailty and undependability of things outside of Christ.

One thing that the author tried to do with her book was to alter the reader's perspective of death and eternity. Perhaps, death was not the alarming end that we believe it to be. And to the recurring question of why God allowed his devoted believers to die, Diane presented a question that readers would have to meditate on: could death be God's reward for his faithful ones?

At some point in the read, I felt like I had been thrust into one of the scenes from the movie The Exorcist. These scenes changed the book's atmosphere from mildly intriguing to downright scary. Whether the author intended to get readers excited or scared with the scenes, that would be for the reader to decipher.

I believe the author delivered on the purpose of her book. There was no doubt that this was a spiritual book based on Christianity, and it served all the right emotions expected of a book in this genre. Readers would be moved to cry and be encouraged by the possibility of the miraculous. Readers should have an open heart that the Holy Spirit could touch to get the most out of The Cross Road.

I'd recommend this book to Christians who doubt their faith and non-Christians searching for their way to Christ. Everything about this book was perfect except the editing. The poor editing spoiled the faultlessness of this book, as the number of errors was alarming. Therefore, I'd rate it three out of four stars. Another round of thorough editing would do readers of The Cross Road a world of good.

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The Cross Road
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Kingsley Emodi]

It'd be interesting to uncover more about Amiee's spiritual journey. Great review.

[Bigtreasure06]

He who believes in faith, would reap it. Faith is the evidence of your relationship with God, the content of the book is incredible

[Ekezie1998]

It’s quite not the best situation for one to hate her mother. Thank God she found salvation.