The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy – Reviewed by Guy Portman
Billy is a hardy sixteen-year-old living in rural New Mexico. One day he finds a she wolf caught in a snare. Having opted against shooting it, he attempts to return the animal to her mountainous homeland south of the border. However, tragedy results in our protagonist returning home. He soon sets off for Mexico once more, this time accompanied by younger brother Boyd.
This poignant and depressing bildungsroman-type novel is imbibed with an apocalyptic tone. The book boasts a resourceful protagonist, who despite suffering terribly never surrenders to self-pity. Minor criticisms include the considerable digression and the excessive detail in the early chapters. No translation is provided for the substantial Spanish-language content.
The Crossing is not an easy read, but it is a compelling one. It is the second instalment in The Border Trilogy.
