The Crossing is a 1994 Western novel by Cormac McCarthy and is the second entry in The Border Trilogy.
Set in pre-WWII New Mexico, it tells the story of two brothers, Billy and Boyd Parham, who, after capturing a she-wolf that thrashes their property, decides to send it back to Mexico. There the brothers learn the hard truth about life and the inevitable tragedy that awaits them there.
A sequel, Cities of the Plain, was published in 1998.
Tropes found in the novel:
- Darker and Edgier: The Crossing is notably a lot darker and somber in tone, with a lot more emphasis on philosophical inquiry, have deeper themes and the inevitable tragedy that awaits Billy and Boyd Parham. Though it's not without a tragedy, it's almost a stark contrast to the enjoyable, thrilling and sometimes comic tone of All the Pretty Horses and Cities of the Plain.
- Eye Scream: After the Mexican revolutionary mouths off to the German mercenary Wirtz and spits in his face, Wirtz proceeds to lick up the spittle, swallow it, smile, then sucks out the man's eyeballs with his mouth, leaving them to dangle down his face. The revolutionary talks about how, due to his eyes hanging from his face via a handful of nerves, the world seems to jostle as his eyes sway back and forth on his march back to camp.
