The Crossing (by Cormac McCarthy)
I am at a season in my life where I feel drawn to books written in the past. There’s something thought-provoking about stories either written decades ago or set in a historical time period. Cormac McCarthy is an exceptional storyteller. His scene descriptions and character development pulled me right into this emotional story.
The Crossing, part two of The Border Trilogy, is a western novel that follows young Billy Parham on three life-changing journeys across the New Mexico border into Mexico. At age 16, Billy and his father have been tracking a pregnant wolf. Billy captures the wolf by himself and spontaneously decides to take her back to the mountains in Mexico where she can reunite with her kind. This is such an unimaginable journey for a boy embarking on manhood. Billy is resourceful and faces challenges with courage.
Billy returns to his home in New Mexico to find an unexpected tragedy has taken place. He and his brother, Boyd, age 14, set out on their journey to Mexico to retrieve the family’s stolen horses. The boys encounter dangerous people as well as forge alliances. Young Boyd falls in love with a Mexican girl and embarks on a new adventure. Billy returns to New Mexico where he works and saves money with a goal of bringing Boyd and his girlfriend home. He also makes several attempts to enlist in the Army as the second world war commences.
Now, Billy is 20 years old and has the resources he needs to return to Mexico to find his brother. He meets other travelers along the way who provide him with necessities. He searches and finds people who had met his brother. This portion of the story reminded me of the beginning when Billy was tracking the wolf; at the end he was tracking his brother.
On each of these journeys, the travelers are met by a variety of people. I enjoyed the authenticity of these characters. Some were intimidating, careless, and violent. While others were compassionate, helpful, and resourceful. This story repeatedly broke my heart. It’s an emotionally heavy read, filled with tragedy and suffering. While also being a beautiful story. I suppose I have this reaction because McCarthy repeatedly offers hope in the story but doesn’t quite deliver. There isn’t a man on horseback riding off into the sunset in this ending.
I purchased the audiobook from Audible with perfect narration by Richard Poe.
You’re welcome to read my review for book one in The Border Trilogy linked below.
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