When Crossroads, Inc—a life insurance company offering cash advances on policies—arrives in town, it brings something Glanton hasn’t seen in generations: hope.
Young Hannah Cassady and her seven siblings visit Crossroads to collect on their life insurance advancements for the family’s mounting bills, discovering the company intends to collect big returns on its investments—with severed body parts for the money.
How much is too much for free money? What’s the true cost of a better quality of life?
"Just when you think you can’t take no more darkness and will do anything to escape it then that’s when the sun peaks over that blessed horizon like some great symbol of hope."
Living in desolate times, young Hannah and her family are struggling to make ends meet. They live in a dilapidated house, live on meager meals, they work long hours in factories only to just scrape by and drink what they call "the brew" to try to feel better at the end of the day, The smog is so thick, it's hard to breathe.
When Crossroads, Inc appears in their town of Glanton, they think that maybe this is their opportunity to get them out of their dire situation. The company is offering free life insurance and money to improve the people of the town's quality of life. Letting their curiosity get the best of them, members of Hannah's family decide to visit Crossroads, Inc and what they discover there is frightening. They quickly learn that there is a much too high of a price to pay.
The people of the town are succumbing to the desire to get free money, which is essentially destroying their lives. The town is falling deeper and deeper into darkness and despair.
Hannah is the one telling her story and I just love her character. She's strong, smart, and wise beyond her years at just thirteen. She cares for her family a great deal and she is always trying to look out for them. Through all her difficulties, and even though she is scared, she stands her ground and sticks to her morals. She's a fighter and a survivor.
I was really impressed with the author's writing style and really enjoyed reading this book. It's dark, disturbing, and at times quite grotesque. But there are also moments that had me holding onto a hope for a brighter future for Hannah and the ending was quite thought provoking.
Format: Purchased eBook
Song Pairing: Dark Dystopian Music-Mentality
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