asaenz4 's review for:

The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy

3.0

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Upon hearing the word trilogy one may imagine that Cormacs first book of the series All the Pretty Horses would have some sort of bearing upon the second iteration of the trilogy. This assumption would be wrong…sadly. The Crossing definitely can stand alone without help or characters from its predecessor, however the foundation on which the book is built through its first act is by far the strongest. This sets up the other 3/4s of the novel to feel lackluster and confused. The main character almost never seems to learn from mistakes or his journey as much as the audience does. Which some may argue is the main point, for the audience to understand the themes and admire the picture that is painted of the American countryside and the stark differences/similarities of Mexico. At no point in time does it feel like the main character wins, and yet this isn’t disappointing as he does little throughout the story to allow himself despite opportunities being there. Definitely an interesting life lived by an uninteresting character. Accompanied by long winded dialogue from characters who inevitably hold no bearing, nor speak messages truly understood by the main character himself. Hoping the third book clarifies why The Crossing was included in the trilogy.