The Crossing

When his mother commits suicide in the winter of 1992, University of Texas sophomore Joel Grayson represses the circumstances surrounding his death and his fear that he might be responsible. His best friend, James, becomes his lifeline, supporting his attempts to create a space for himself and his art. But Joel’s past writhes beneath the surface, ready to seep through the cracks at any moment, leaving him unable to work. As memories of his abusive childhood force themselves to the forefront, Joel reaches out to Adam Atwater, a one-night stand laden with possibility. Can Joel find salvation in Adam? Or will he summon the courage to save himself? From the author of the novel, I, Too, Have Suffered in the Garden, comes a story about longing, loyalty and what happens when we lose ourselves in love.

Along with I, Too, Have Suffered in the Garden and Smoke and Glass, Jennifer Hritz’s second novel, The Crossing, follows Joel, James, and Adam as they navigate life and love. Readers will find the events of The Crossing first in the timeline of this trio of novels.

Jennifer Hritz has avid memories of lugging armfuls of books home from the public library in her neighborhood. The author of two novels, The Crossing, and I, too, Have Suffered in the Garden, Jennifer also holds both an M.A. in Literature and Language and a PhD in American Literature. Her first short story won the Chris O’Malley Fiction Prize and was published in The Madison Review. Themes of memory, psychological trauma and betrayal fill her fiction, including her forthcoming third novel, Slow Burn, but she’s keen on keeping her personal life light. She lives in Austin with her son, where she practices yoga, collects local art and once posed as a mermaid in an underwater photo shoot.