Cross Purposes (by Stephen Hayes)

It’s always difficult to write a review when one ‘knows’ the author, even if online rather than in person. That’s the case with ‘Cross Purposes’, which I recently read on my Kindle while travelling. Steve Hayes, who wrote it, is someone I have corresponded with for around three decades, on forums and social media. I read his first two children’s novels, ‘Of Wheels and Witches’, and ‘The Enchanted Grove’, and liked them both although the combination of politics and fantasy isn’t normally a genre I would consider reading.

‘Cross Purposes’, set in the mid-1960s, features the same children as the other two books. It’s not necessary to have read them; each novel stands alone. Jeffery is thirteen in this book, and Janet twelve, and there are hints of a budding romance, although for the first part of the book Janet is so irritating that even Jefferey gets a bit frustrated with her.

These two are travelling with their friends Sipho (from South Africa) and Catherine (who is Russian but lives in the UK) on a holiday. They spend a few days in England, then board a plane to Italy.. And something shocking happens, leaving the four children stranded, with no luggage, no passports, and no idea how they’re going to get home.

It’s a dramatic start to a book which consists of a series of adventures, some of them stranger than others. The supernatural world impinges several times on the story, with one important feature being a jewelled cross that Catherine was given by her grandmother. It seems to glow with different colours and guides them on their journey.

The political part of the book relates to the reasons for the drama, and would perhaps go over the heads of the target age-group, which I assume to be about 10-14. It doesn’t much matter; there’s a fair amount of history and geography in this book, as well as politics, which can be usefully educational to those who are interested, and skimmed by those who are not. It’s not essential to understand all the factual, religious or historical elements to appreciate the story of the children’s adventures.

Unlike the other books I’ve read by Steve Hayes, there’s an unexpected time travel element too. I should perhaps have expected it as there are several references to ‘Doctor Who’, a series which would have been quite new at the time, as it was first broadcast in 1963. I thought this aspect was handled well, as was the eventual resolution, though I felt that the ending happened a tad abruptly.

It felt like quite a long book; I don’t know how many pages it is, as I read it on my Kindle. It did feel as if some of the chapters were a bit repetitive, in places. In several chapters, the children set off alone, encounter dangers, reach the end of their resources… and rescue happens, in the form of a friendly person, or some animals (presumed to be guardian angels in disguise) who help them solve a problem. The ‘deus ex machina’ device in novels isn’t one I particularly like, but in this context it worked; reality had to be suspended anyway, and in a children’s book it's clear that everything is going to work out eventually.

There's some religious content, mainly involving Catherine who is a committed Greek Orthodox Christian. But it's not in any way preachy. There are also quite a few forays into Asian mythology which I knew almost nothing about; again it's possible just to see these as part of the story, or to learn about the background and culture which the children encounter.

Overall I found it very readable - I could hardly put it down in the second half - well-written and something that I think could be enjoyed by older children or younger teens who like adventure stories with a little fantasy thrown in. Recommended to those who like books by Susan Cooper or similar authors.

'Cross Purposes' does not seem to be available on Amazon, but can be found on this link at Smashwords.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews