CROSS ROADS by Wm. Paul Young

In 2009, William Paul Young was juggling three jobs. Each day he hauled himself and his troubles (financial worries that led to bankruptcy, guilt from an affair that strained his marriage, memories of three devastating family deaths) on the commuter train between his rental home in Gresham, Oregon and Portland. Sometimes he scribbled bits of dialogue on napkins and receipts to help ease his pain. Since then, Young has undergone a major reversal of fortune. The Shack, a novel he started in 2005 to explain to his six kids how he coped with tragedy, has become an astonishing hit selling 18 million copies and landing on the New York Times Best Seller list for 50 consecutive weeks as #1. Paul originally wrote it as a Christmas gift for his children and printed 15 copies at the local office supply store; it was never intended for broad publication. However, friends passed it to friends and eventually he teamed up with a couple of guys to print it and the rest is a publishing phenomenon.

In Cross Roads, Young tells the story of a driven man who falls into a coma and experiences relational entanglements that allow him to revisit choices he made during his life. In ICU after a cerebral hemorrhage, powerful businessman Anthony Spencer awakens to find himself in a surreal world. Literally able to see through the eyes and experiences of others, he is faced with the consequences of his own choices. Despite his great material accomplishments, he is confronted by how his life was ultimately empty and meaningless. He meets God and faces a decision. Will he have the courage to make a choice that can undo a major injustice he set in motion before falling into a coma?