Review: All Roads Lead to Lawrence by Craig Leener

Readers are welcomed back into the strange world of Zeke and the Seventh Dimension in the wild and wise All Roads Lead to Lawrence by Craig Leener.

A sequel to the acclaimed This Was Never About Basketball, our protagonist is a bit older and wiser, but his heart still beats with every bounce of the basketball. Now the point guard for his college team, he may think he’s done with his extra-dimensional adventures, but his journey is only beginning.

Upon the death of his brother, Zeke’s reality begins coming apart at the seams, and it doesn’t help that not everyone fully believes that his brother is dead. As this straightforward piece of fiction begins veering into other, more abstract genres, Leener’s skill as an author becomes apparent.

Within the first handful of chapters, this book broaches a wide range of topics – death, friendship, family, and growing up – and that’s before the strangeness truly begins. As was the case in Leener’s first book, readers are slowly submerged in the fantastical elements of Zeke’s life, which provides time to adjust and fully sink into this mind-bending world.

Zeke is far from a lone hero in this story, and is supported by great secondary characters like his girlfriend Rebecca Tuesday, as well as Curtis and Lawrence, all of whom hold up different mirrors to Zeke’s personality. His devotion to his friends and deep love of basketball and family make him a compelling and engaging lead, one that readers will naturally want to cheer for – both on and off the court.

For those who read the first book in the series, mysterious dolphin telepathy and inter-dimensional crossovers from the dead won’t come as too much of a surprise, and it does add a wonderfully whimsical element to this somewhat serious read. Despite being targeted at young readers, and having plenty of comedically lighthearted moments, it can also occasionally be heavy, as life can be for anyone, regardless of age.

Leener is an ambitious writer, to say the least, attempting to layer meaning and amusement within parables of friendship, growth, childhood trauma, and loss. While this is a YA book, and written on that level, it is often engaging in a more adult and nuanced way. Many authors use sports as metaphoric tools, particularly because it is something so widely understood and socially present for young readers, but Leener isn’t heavy-handed in his messaging. Existential undertones are delicate things to express effectively, but they handily drive this book down the court from start to finish.

There are certain cliché elements, such as the last-second shots and heroic endings, but the core of this book is impressive, unique, and accessible. If anything, Leener attempts to do too much in order to add authenticity to the scenes. With so many short chapters, it is easy to move through quickly, but there are some sections that seem unnecessarily drawn out. On the whole, the pacing is good, and the balance of real-world consequences with sci-fi whimsy is expertly handled.

With All Roads Lead to Lawrence, this daring author delivers a meaningful, symbol-heavy adventure with a cast of characters who are easy to invest in, as this new book offers an extra layer of maturity to the characters, and imagination to the story.