Crossways
Oct 2025 · Open Road Media
eBook
251
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
infoThis book will become available on 28 October 2025. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this eBook
A woman returns home to South Africa to mourn her sister's death—only to discover disturbing truths about her brother-in-law in this literary thriller.
Kate Kempden was living in Paris as a book translator, far from her past life—and family—in Johannesburg when tragedy forced her to return. Her sister Marion has been killed in a car accident, leaving her three young children in the care of Kate's mother until their father, heart surgeon Louis Marais, recovers from his crash injuries.
Grief-stricken, Kate recalls how close she and Marion once were before Louis entered their lives, and how much her sister sacrificed for her husband. Their marriage was far from perfect, and Kate helped Marion cope with Louis's mood swings. Now Kate finds herself questioning the "accident," knowing just how unpredictable and dangerous Louis can be, fearing for the lives of her nieces and nephew . . .
"There is a territory—fictional and psychological—that Sheila Kohler has now marked as her own. I am full of admiration." —J. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize–winning author
"Gripping . . . terrifying." — O, The Oprah Magazine
"[A] hypnotic book—a combination of domestic drama and psychological thriller . . . hinting at unsettling secrets and later revealing them." — San Francisco Chronicle
Kate Kempden was living in Paris as a book translator, far from her past life—and family—in Johannesburg when tragedy forced her to return. Her sister Marion has been killed in a car accident, leaving her three young children in the care of Kate's mother until their father, heart surgeon Louis Marais, recovers from his crash injuries.
Grief-stricken, Kate recalls how close she and Marion once were before Louis entered their lives, and how much her sister sacrificed for her husband. Their marriage was far from perfect, and Kate helped Marion cope with Louis's mood swings. Now Kate finds herself questioning the "accident," knowing just how unpredictable and dangerous Louis can be, fearing for the lives of her nieces and nephew . . .
"There is a territory—fictional and psychological—that Sheila Kohler has now marked as her own. I am full of admiration." —J. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize–winning author
"Gripping . . . terrifying." — O, The Oprah Magazine
"[A] hypnotic book—a combination of domestic drama and psychological thriller . . . hinting at unsettling secrets and later revealing them." — San Francisco Chronicle
About the author
Sheila Kohler was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon matriculation at seventeen, she left for Europe. Kohler lived for fifteen years in Paris, where she got married and completed an undergraduate degree in literature at the Sorbonne and a graduate degree in psychology at the Institut Catholique. After raising her three children, she moved to the United States in 1981 and earned an MFA in writing at Columbia.
Kohler has taught at The Writer's Voice, SUNY Purchase, Sarah Lawrence, Colgate, CCNY, Bennington, Columbia, and Princeton.
Kohler has taught at The Writer's Voice, SUNY Purchase, Sarah Lawrence, Colgate, CCNY, Bennington, Columbia, and Princeton.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Centre instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
