Info
Written By: Timothy J Smith.
Published By: Leapfrog Press.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a physical copy of the book for the purpose of this review, also thanks to Love Book Tours for adding me to the tour.
Overview
In this coming-of-age literary thriller, Ahdaf, a gay Syrian refugee, after watching his cousin executed by ISIS for being homosexual, flees to Istanbul for safety. Ahdaf's reputation as a people smuggler has put him in danger once more. A Syrian refugee himself, Ahdaf earns a meager living in Istanbul helping others make the crossing to Greece - a perilous line of work, but no less so than what he would face if the truth of his sexuality were discovered by ISIS.
Yet when the CIA and ISIS approach him about transporting high-profile individuals and serving as a double agent for their causes, Ahdaf 's life is thrown into turmoil.
And when his feelings for one of his clients come to light and as another possible relationship grows, the decision is taken out of his hands. Now a new choice lays before him, between two men and two different futures - if Ahdaf will live to see either of them. Istanbul Crossing is a story of adversity, love, and the courage of an ordinary man who must brave impossible situations in order to survive.
Overview taken from the official book press release.
Review
Time for something a little different, not quite on my normal thriller vibe but still with a small amount of suspense on offer. Istanbul Crossing is a coming of age story where living with sexuality in this part of the where being yourself and expressing your sexuality is strictly forbidden within the laws of the land and this book details the effects this has on a young man just wanting to live his life.
Ahdaf is a young gay Syrian refugee, again a refugee due to his sexuality due to fleeing his home country after seeing his sister executed for also being gay. The only way that Ahdaf can scrape together any type of money is through the scrupulous paths (quite literally) as he gets paid a meagre amount to smuggle fellow refugees to the safety of the shores of Greece with the promise of a new prosperous life. Things are moving at a reasonably manageable pace that is until a mysteriously handsome figure appears wanting to speak with Ahdaf with a matter of em bff
The overall structure of the book was well written and the story does deal with the subject matter well but I'll be honest I would've preferred maybe a warning of the level of detail in the intimate sections, I would say that it is done tastefully and within the story but I would've liked a bit of a content warning I think so to prepare myself. I liked the style the Edgar D Jackson wrote in. The story did well at capturing the challenges that a homosexual man may well face on a day to day basis.
Verdict-Out of 5 ⭐
⭐⭐⭐
GOOD
I give Istanbul Crossing a good score of 3⭐, a eye opener and thought provoker, would've maybe liked a warning as to the graphic nature of some of the scenes but overall I thought the book was well written and highlights some of the issues that mainstream will probably skirt over. .
This book review was part of the Love Books Tour please check out the other bloggers on the tour
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