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Tom's Crossing
The best-selling author of the million-copy classic House of Leaves returns with a magisterial, page-turning epic, about two friends determined to rescue a pair of horses set for slaughter.
While folks still like to focus on the crimes that shocked the small city of Orvop, Utah, back in the fall of 1982, not to mention the trials that followed, far more remember the adventure that took place beyond municipal lines in mountains ready to shrug even the bravest from their backs, as one Orvop local would put, with another characterizing the astonishing journey as crazy as it was foolish as it still is just plain beyond imaginin. But them kids went for it anyway.
Not that such daring was entirely unexpected considering how some of those involved included the likes of young Tom Gatestone, already a bit of an Orvop legend, and his friend Kalin March, new to the area, the two of them takin it upon themselves to rescue a couple of neglected horses from the Porch paddocks on Willow and Oak.
Who knows what would have happened if they hadn’t?
For sure no one expected the dead to rise but they did. For sure no one expected the mountain to fall but it did. For sure no one expected an act of courage so great, and likewise so appalling, that it still staggers the heart and mind of anyone who knows anything about the Katanogos massif to say nothing of Pillars Meadow.
As one Orvop high-school teacher would describe that extraordinary feat days before she died: Fer sure, no one expected Kalin March to tell Old Porch: You get what you deserve when you ride with cowards.
In this sweeping tale of mythic proportions, populated by extraordinary characters, the ghosts of the American West, and bursting with unexpected humor, Danielewski tells a masterful story of determination, perseverance, and humanity in the face of long odds and adverse fate.
While folks still like to focus on the crimes that shocked the small city of Orvop, Utah, back in the fall of 1982, not to mention the trials that followed, far more remember the adventure that took place beyond municipal lines in mountains ready to shrug even the bravest from their backs, as one Orvop local would put, with another characterizing the astonishing journey as crazy as it was foolish as it still is just plain beyond imaginin. But them kids went for it anyway.
Not that such daring was entirely unexpected considering how some of those involved included the likes of young Tom Gatestone, already a bit of an Orvop legend, and his friend Kalin March, new to the area, the two of them takin it upon themselves to rescue a couple of neglected horses from the Porch paddocks on Willow and Oak.
Who knows what would have happened if they hadn’t?
For sure no one expected the dead to rise but they did. For sure no one expected the mountain to fall but it did. For sure no one expected an act of courage so great, and likewise so appalling, that it still staggers the heart and mind of anyone who knows anything about the Katanogos massif to say nothing of Pillars Meadow.
As one Orvop high-school teacher would describe that extraordinary feat days before she died: Fer sure, no one expected Kalin March to tell Old Porch: You get what you deserve when you ride with cowards.
In this sweeping tale of mythic proportions, populated by extraordinary characters, the ghosts of the American West, and bursting with unexpected humor, Danielewski tells a masterful story of determination, perseverance, and humanity in the face of long odds and adverse fate.
1232 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 2025
969 people are currently reading
19471 people want to read
About the author
Mark Z. Danielewski
18 books8,235 followersMark Z. Danielewski is an American author best known for his books House of Leaves, Only Revolutions, The Fifty Year Sword, The Little Blue Kite, and The Familiar series.
Danielewski studied English Literature at Yale. He then decided to move to Berkeley, California, where he took a summer program in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent time in Paris, preoccupied mostly with writing.
In the early 1990s, he pursued graduate studies at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He later served as an assistant editor and worked on sound for Derrida, a documentary based on the life of the Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher Jacques Derrida.
His second novel, Only Revolutions, was released in 2006. The novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award.
His novel The Fifty Year Sword was released in the Netherlands in 2005. A new version with stitched illustrations was released in the United States 2012 (including a limited-edition release featuring a latched box that held the book). On Halloween 2010-2012, Danielewski "conducted" staged readings of the book at the REDCAT Theater inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Each year was different and included features such as large-scale shadows, music, and performances from actors such as Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
On May 12, 2015, he released the first volume, The Familiar (Volume 1): One Rainy Day in May in his announced 27-volume series The Familiar. The story "concerns a 12-year-old girl who finds a kitten..." The second volume, The Familiar (Volume 2): Into the Forest was released on Oct. 27, 2015, The Familiar (Volume 3): Honeysuckle & Pain came out June 14, 2016, and The Familiar (Volume 4): Hades arrived in bookstores on Feb. 7, 2017, and The Familiar (Volume 5): Redwood was released on Halloween 2017.
His latest release, The Little Blue Kite, is out now.
Quick Facts
He is the son of Polish avant-garde film director Tad Danielewski and the brother of singer and songwriter Annie Decatur Danielewski, a.k.a. Poe.
House of Leaves, Danielewski's first novel, has gained a considerable cult following. In 2000, Danielewski toured with his sister across America at Borders Books and Music locations, promoting Poe’s album Haunted, which reflects elements of House of Leaves.
Danielewski's work is characterized by experimental choices in form, such as intricate and multi-layered narratives and typographical variation.
In 2015, his piece Thrown, a reflection on Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2, appeared on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Official "Yarn + Ink" apparel inspired by his books House of Leaves and The Familiar is now available through his official website, Amazon and Etsy.
His latest short story, "There's a Place for You" was released on www.markzdanielewski.com in August 2020.
Read more on his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Z....
Danielewski studied English Literature at Yale. He then decided to move to Berkeley, California, where he took a summer program in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent time in Paris, preoccupied mostly with writing.
In the early 1990s, he pursued graduate studies at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He later served as an assistant editor and worked on sound for Derrida, a documentary based on the life of the Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher Jacques Derrida.
His second novel, Only Revolutions, was released in 2006. The novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award.
His novel The Fifty Year Sword was released in the Netherlands in 2005. A new version with stitched illustrations was released in the United States 2012 (including a limited-edition release featuring a latched box that held the book). On Halloween 2010-2012, Danielewski "conducted" staged readings of the book at the REDCAT Theater inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Each year was different and included features such as large-scale shadows, music, and performances from actors such as Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
On May 12, 2015, he released the first volume, The Familiar (Volume 1): One Rainy Day in May in his announced 27-volume series The Familiar. The story "concerns a 12-year-old girl who finds a kitten..." The second volume, The Familiar (Volume 2): Into the Forest was released on Oct. 27, 2015, The Familiar (Volume 3): Honeysuckle & Pain came out June 14, 2016, and The Familiar (Volume 4): Hades arrived in bookstores on Feb. 7, 2017, and The Familiar (Volume 5): Redwood was released on Halloween 2017.
His latest release, The Little Blue Kite, is out now.
Quick Facts
He is the son of Polish avant-garde film director Tad Danielewski and the brother of singer and songwriter Annie Decatur Danielewski, a.k.a. Poe.
House of Leaves, Danielewski's first novel, has gained a considerable cult following. In 2000, Danielewski toured with his sister across America at Borders Books and Music locations, promoting Poe’s album Haunted, which reflects elements of House of Leaves.
Danielewski's work is characterized by experimental choices in form, such as intricate and multi-layered narratives and typographical variation.
In 2015, his piece Thrown, a reflection on Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2, appeared on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Official "Yarn + Ink" apparel inspired by his books House of Leaves and The Familiar is now available through his official website, Amazon and Etsy.
His latest short story, "There's a Place for You" was released on www.markzdanielewski.com in August 2020.
Read more on his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Z....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
Currently reading
November 8, 2025I’m seated. The bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because it’s “not October yet” but I’m simply too seated
-
now reading this beautiful behemoth of a novel and will be leaving little comments in my reading activity!
-
now reading this beautiful behemoth of a novel and will be leaving little comments in my reading activity!
June 5, 2025
Among the lucky few to receive an advance reader's edition, I dove right in, and to be honest, it completely enraptured me. MZD has been one of my favorite authors, dating back to when I first read 'HOUSE OF LEAVES' in college in the early 2000's. His books allways have this way of seeping in at the subconscious level in such a way that you find yourself as not only a spectator to a story, but as if you're on whatever journey the main characters are on as well. This is true whether that be exploring the horrors of a house that is larger on the inside than it appears, or on a perilous trek to save two horses set for slaughter. They're also uniquely challenging, in that they ask you, the reader, to actively follow those references, breadcrumbs, and leads, to further enrich his stories, and the payoff for doing so is immense.
Based on his previous works, I would not ever have guessed his magnum opus would be a 1200+ page behemoth of a tome, a WESTERN even, but here we are, and I will be the first to say, 'TOM'S CROSSING' has all the makings of a new American classic. The story, while deceptively simple, unravels in such a compelling way that it kept me on the edge of my saddle.... errr seat, the entire way. And for a book of this size, that's an impressive feat! The characters run the gamut from endearing and loveable to enfuriating, terrifying, and even downright despicable. Each is brimming with humanity--each beautifully fleshed out with clear aspirations and flaws. The Western genre is not one that I have explored much myself through literature, but moreso through film, and at times it felt very much in the same vein as the Coen Brothers, and perhaps Tarantino. Other times closer to Aronofsky or Malick. The narration is conversational in tone, treating the story as a retelling of a local legend or tall tale, which makes it both easily digestible and tough to put down. At its heart it's an emotional epic. There's a good bit of humor, a great bit of suspense, and yes too, sometimes heartbreak. It would be doing future readers a great disservice to expound too much on the story or themes within but expect the signature MZD flairs--his verbosity allways such a gift, and the long side trails that sometimes snake you away from the main quest allways further serve to enrich the overall narrative. I challenge anyone who is daunted by its length to read the first section, and I'm willing to bet you'll be hooked.
Suffice to say, this story will haunt me for many years to come . . .
Based on his previous works, I would not ever have guessed his magnum opus would be a 1200+ page behemoth of a tome, a WESTERN even, but here we are, and I will be the first to say, 'TOM'S CROSSING' has all the makings of a new American classic. The story, while deceptively simple, unravels in such a compelling way that it kept me on the edge of my saddle.... errr seat, the entire way. And for a book of this size, that's an impressive feat! The characters run the gamut from endearing and loveable to enfuriating, terrifying, and even downright despicable. Each is brimming with humanity--each beautifully fleshed out with clear aspirations and flaws. The Western genre is not one that I have explored much myself through literature, but moreso through film, and at times it felt very much in the same vein as the Coen Brothers, and perhaps Tarantino. Other times closer to Aronofsky or Malick. The narration is conversational in tone, treating the story as a retelling of a local legend or tall tale, which makes it both easily digestible and tough to put down. At its heart it's an emotional epic. There's a good bit of humor, a great bit of suspense, and yes too, sometimes heartbreak. It would be doing future readers a great disservice to expound too much on the story or themes within but expect the signature MZD flairs--his verbosity allways such a gift, and the long side trails that sometimes snake you away from the main quest allways further serve to enrich the overall narrative. I challenge anyone who is daunted by its length to read the first section, and I'm willing to bet you'll be hooked.
Suffice to say, this story will haunt me for many years to come . . .
June 29, 2025
Mark Z. Danielewski has been a significant part of my life since the Spring of 2009, when I was a meager 15 years of age.
I was introduced to House of Leaves through a web forum that I spent a majority of my time on in my pre-"licensed-to-drive" era, which was for a YA book series by author DJ MacHale called "Pendragon: Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space." I was immediately grabbed by the disjointed presentation and air of uncertainty as to whether the book was truly fiction - which, of course it is, but it's a testament to Mark's writing that even with all clear indications to the contrary, it can still almost convince you that what you're holding really did happen.
From then on, House of Leaves was my favorite book of all time - I even have an unmarked compass tattooed on my left forearm that was inspired by the compass on the front cover. I attempted Only Revolutions around the same time I finished House of Leaves, but I will admit that it wasn't until 2019 that I managed to finish it; long after I had already gobbled up The Fifty Year Sword and The Familiar. Mark's books have always dared to defy explanation and easy digestion, and Only Revolutions was certainly the most difficult of those endeavors for me, but it quickly cemented itself as one of the most moving pieces of writing I had ever read once I listened to the rhythm and feeling of the text's music rather than attempting to dissect it piece-by-piece.
One thing that has persisted throughout Mark's career post-House of Leaves is a minority of fans that relegate his later works to the halls of gimmick; they grew frustrated with the typographical and formatting experimentation, viewing it to be the sad result of having nothing substantive to say following the success of House of Leaves. I will argue against such interpretations until the end of time, having spent a good deal of my own researching the minutiae making up the larger wholes of Mark's work out of the desire to comprehend it as fully as possible. Each stylistic choice subtly influences a reader's perception of a character's identity, whether that was the choice for Johnny Truant to say "should of" instead of "should have," conveying his supposed lack of education; or the choice for Astair, a character in The Familiar, to have her segments narrated with the use of many nesting parentheses in order to convey the constantly stacking and folding thoughts inherent in being a parent - not to mention how much fun it is to pun (parent)hetical. Regardless, some could not move past these specific storytelling choices for long enough to see how they informed the story, and so missed out on some of my favorite pieces of writing.
Tom's Crossing, then, seems to be Mark's response to the sometimes implied, sometimes explicit question that those people have been asking for the last 20-something years - is Mark all flash without his typographical tricks?
After being one of the lucky few to receive and consume a galley copy of Tom's Crossing in its entirety, I can confidently say that he is the "real horseradish," as our new favorite vile patriarch, Old Porch, might say. You won't find but a minor coating of the usual MZD flair here - formatting hijinks take a back seat to a more straightforward narrative, though we still get a bit of Mark's signature soul in the form of the choice to narrate the book in a sort of written dialectical fashion, with words like "enough" replaced with "enuf," dropping the letter "g" from the ending of words depending on the circumstance, italicizing dialogue rather than putting it in quotations, etc. While at first this can be a bit of a shock for longtime MZD fans, I can confidently assure you that any concerns or misgivings are soon arrested in the first 20 pages alone.
It becomes apparent early on that not only does Mark still stand firm upon a foundation of linguistic mastery, but that to ever question that at all was foolish. Within those opening pages, we are treated to such evocative prose, conveying over the course of many pages a meeting that took maybe minutes of real-world time to play out. The titular Tom Gatestone chances upon a new lifelong friend, Kalin March, and the two get to wagering on who can stand to ride the longest upon some nearby horses, them famously not being the most amiable of creatures. Tom’s observation of Kalin’s uncharacteristic poise upon the backs of those horses may not occupy more than a couple of minutes, but as anybody that’s seen an instant replay knows, sometimes the beauty or tragedy is found in the fractions of a second, no matter how unremarkable it seems at first glance. That is true not just for the memory of motion but for the understanding of the world, at some turns betraying truths not readily apparent at first glance but upon further scrutiny evoking fear, sadness, hope, anxiety, and yes, even love.
As Tom and Kalin bond, they continue to visit those two horses, called Navidad and Mouse. They would sneak them out from Paddock A, where they were kept by Old Porch, and ride them through the mountains nearby. Paddock B was reserved for those creatures that Old Porch saw fit to slaughter the next day, so a promise is soon shared between them – should that detestable man ever move Navidad and Mouse to Paddock B, the two boys would take them to Tom’s Crossing and set them free.
What results is a tale that extends itself into the depths of Hell while still standing tall, piercing the clouds and daring heaven. I found myself anxious, vulnerable, hopeful, excited, unsettled, tickled, and comforted at nearly every turn, often even audibly exclaiming from surprise, relief, hilarity, or contentment, and many times I cried. One thing that I must commend Mark on especially is his ability to somehow take moments that other authors may stumble over, and by some peculiar alchemy make them just as, if not more, compelling than what came before.
There were many moments throughout that left you hanging on to your last breath, only for the story to divest from the central narrative and spend some time building up seemingly tangential pieces of lore. The story is told like a recounting of a piece of local history, where many people that either studied or were affected by the events of those days are referenced to offer varying perspectives on the same event. There was one particular moment that shocked me (which shall remain unspoiled here), when a crucial event was followed then by about 90 pages of time spent on other characters and the repercussive emanations of the events thus far into the world. It’s a testament to the sincerity of Mark’s voice as an author that you can find in these moments that you’re no longer so anxious about learning what happened next after only reading 3 or 4 more pages.
Without spoiling anything, I can promise you all that Tom’s Crossing is something special. It refuses to shy away from the ugliness of the world but also refuses to accept any reality where love and mirth cannot also exist alongside it, finding humor in moments of terror and promising that the future need not be chained by the past. There are also plenty of Easter eggs for fans of Mark’s other works, especially The Familiar, and I can’t wait for my Familiar friends to spot them! In many ways, Tom’s Crossing now contends with House of Leaves as my favorite book, having found me with a kind word amidst uncertain weather and delivering some of the most memorable and impactful prose that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Kudos, Mark!
All that being said,
I’ll see y’all at the crossin. . .
I was introduced to House of Leaves through a web forum that I spent a majority of my time on in my pre-"licensed-to-drive" era, which was for a YA book series by author DJ MacHale called "Pendragon: Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space." I was immediately grabbed by the disjointed presentation and air of uncertainty as to whether the book was truly fiction - which, of course it is, but it's a testament to Mark's writing that even with all clear indications to the contrary, it can still almost convince you that what you're holding really did happen.
From then on, House of Leaves was my favorite book of all time - I even have an unmarked compass tattooed on my left forearm that was inspired by the compass on the front cover. I attempted Only Revolutions around the same time I finished House of Leaves, but I will admit that it wasn't until 2019 that I managed to finish it; long after I had already gobbled up The Fifty Year Sword and The Familiar. Mark's books have always dared to defy explanation and easy digestion, and Only Revolutions was certainly the most difficult of those endeavors for me, but it quickly cemented itself as one of the most moving pieces of writing I had ever read once I listened to the rhythm and feeling of the text's music rather than attempting to dissect it piece-by-piece.
One thing that has persisted throughout Mark's career post-House of Leaves is a minority of fans that relegate his later works to the halls of gimmick; they grew frustrated with the typographical and formatting experimentation, viewing it to be the sad result of having nothing substantive to say following the success of House of Leaves. I will argue against such interpretations until the end of time, having spent a good deal of my own researching the minutiae making up the larger wholes of Mark's work out of the desire to comprehend it as fully as possible. Each stylistic choice subtly influences a reader's perception of a character's identity, whether that was the choice for Johnny Truant to say "should of" instead of "should have," conveying his supposed lack of education; or the choice for Astair, a character in The Familiar, to have her segments narrated with the use of many nesting parentheses in order to convey the constantly stacking and folding thoughts inherent in being a parent - not to mention how much fun it is to pun (parent)hetical. Regardless, some could not move past these specific storytelling choices for long enough to see how they informed the story, and so missed out on some of my favorite pieces of writing.
Tom's Crossing, then, seems to be Mark's response to the sometimes implied, sometimes explicit question that those people have been asking for the last 20-something years - is Mark all flash without his typographical tricks?
After being one of the lucky few to receive and consume a galley copy of Tom's Crossing in its entirety, I can confidently say that he is the "real horseradish," as our new favorite vile patriarch, Old Porch, might say. You won't find but a minor coating of the usual MZD flair here - formatting hijinks take a back seat to a more straightforward narrative, though we still get a bit of Mark's signature soul in the form of the choice to narrate the book in a sort of written dialectical fashion, with words like "enough" replaced with "enuf," dropping the letter "g" from the ending of words depending on the circumstance, italicizing dialogue rather than putting it in quotations, etc. While at first this can be a bit of a shock for longtime MZD fans, I can confidently assure you that any concerns or misgivings are soon arrested in the first 20 pages alone.
It becomes apparent early on that not only does Mark still stand firm upon a foundation of linguistic mastery, but that to ever question that at all was foolish. Within those opening pages, we are treated to such evocative prose, conveying over the course of many pages a meeting that took maybe minutes of real-world time to play out. The titular Tom Gatestone chances upon a new lifelong friend, Kalin March, and the two get to wagering on who can stand to ride the longest upon some nearby horses, them famously not being the most amiable of creatures. Tom’s observation of Kalin’s uncharacteristic poise upon the backs of those horses may not occupy more than a couple of minutes, but as anybody that’s seen an instant replay knows, sometimes the beauty or tragedy is found in the fractions of a second, no matter how unremarkable it seems at first glance. That is true not just for the memory of motion but for the understanding of the world, at some turns betraying truths not readily apparent at first glance but upon further scrutiny evoking fear, sadness, hope, anxiety, and yes, even love.
As Tom and Kalin bond, they continue to visit those two horses, called Navidad and Mouse. They would sneak them out from Paddock A, where they were kept by Old Porch, and ride them through the mountains nearby. Paddock B was reserved for those creatures that Old Porch saw fit to slaughter the next day, so a promise is soon shared between them – should that detestable man ever move Navidad and Mouse to Paddock B, the two boys would take them to Tom’s Crossing and set them free.
What results is a tale that extends itself into the depths of Hell while still standing tall, piercing the clouds and daring heaven. I found myself anxious, vulnerable, hopeful, excited, unsettled, tickled, and comforted at nearly every turn, often even audibly exclaiming from surprise, relief, hilarity, or contentment, and many times I cried. One thing that I must commend Mark on especially is his ability to somehow take moments that other authors may stumble over, and by some peculiar alchemy make them just as, if not more, compelling than what came before.
There were many moments throughout that left you hanging on to your last breath, only for the story to divest from the central narrative and spend some time building up seemingly tangential pieces of lore. The story is told like a recounting of a piece of local history, where many people that either studied or were affected by the events of those days are referenced to offer varying perspectives on the same event. There was one particular moment that shocked me (which shall remain unspoiled here), when a crucial event was followed then by about 90 pages of time spent on other characters and the repercussive emanations of the events thus far into the world. It’s a testament to the sincerity of Mark’s voice as an author that you can find in these moments that you’re no longer so anxious about learning what happened next after only reading 3 or 4 more pages.
Without spoiling anything, I can promise you all that Tom’s Crossing is something special. It refuses to shy away from the ugliness of the world but also refuses to accept any reality where love and mirth cannot also exist alongside it, finding humor in moments of terror and promising that the future need not be chained by the past. There are also plenty of Easter eggs for fans of Mark’s other works, especially The Familiar, and I can’t wait for my Familiar friends to spot them! In many ways, Tom’s Crossing now contends with House of Leaves as my favorite book, having found me with a kind word amidst uncertain weather and delivering some of the most memorable and impactful prose that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Kudos, Mark!
All that being said,
I’ll see y’all at the crossin. . .
September 7, 2025
[update after reading the full e-version of the book]
Don’t be scared
"The greatest damage caused by this technology is that people can no longer concentrate, can no longer enjoy concentrating. Reading a long novel is one of my greatest sources of pleasure. But most people refuse to do it because reading a long novel isn’t fun if you’re constantly interrupted."
— William T. Vollmann
What William T. Vollmann says can be seen as a manual for reading the 1,232 pages of Tom's Crossing. And if you apply it, you’ll experience the joy of diving into one of the greatest sources of pleasure.
So, reader, don’t be scared and earn this "western" that will repay you a hundredfold. The quotation marks above are important, and we’ll come back to that.
Mark Z. Danielewski is primarily known for House of Leaves, an extraordinary novel, a work of art in its own right, published in 2000, which, even 25 years later, has not aged a bit, still arousing interest, intrigue, to the point where it is read, reread, and gives rise to all sorts of theories — each reader with their own theory, one might say; in other words: this is definitely for you.
We won’t revisit the other projects/works of Mark Z. Danielewski, all equally interesting and innovative.
Tom’s Crossing. "Western" (again, note the quotation marks)
We won’t revisit the story summary, which is very brief, unlike the novel itself. Just know that you’ll find all the ingredients of a "western" here: Stetsons (including on the cover), horses, poker games, legends passed down orally by the campfire, "duels," villains, the mountains of Utah, etc. Nothing is missing.
But it goes much further than that. The structure, the words used, their double meanings, their sounds, the poetic beauty of some descriptions, the rhythm (Clop-Clop-clip-Clop), the cinematography of the scenes, the musicality — all of this, and more, pulls you in, forcing you to devour these 1,232 pages while, yes, forgetting everything around you.
The characters? Some are endearing, so much so that you’ll shudder, laugh, and even get teary-eyed. Others are despicable, violent, liars, killers — you’ll want to clench your fists and wish them a horrible death.
And there are secondary characters whose names sometimes sound very Pynchonian, stepping in like the timeline in Only Revolutions. Not to mention... the ghosts. (Don’t flinch, it’s so well done that you’ll believe in them too).
Is that the Mark of a good novel?
Certainly.
But Danielewski goes further. Nothing is left to chance in Tom’s Crossing: from the alteration of certain words to mythological references, and much more.
Everything.
Has.
Meaning.
Even the Easter eggs for HOL, Only Revolutions and The Familiar’s readers.
And it will require a second reading.
Because Tom’s Crossing will haunt you long after you’ve finished it.
We almost forgot: why the quotation marks around "western"? Because if it is one, it’s much bigger, it goes much deeper on the inside than on the outside.
So: don’t be scared.
And read!
[side note: even for a non native English, don’t need a dictionary to read Tom’s Crossing, its “music” is largely speakable]
Spécial thanks to Pantheon Books for the Teaser Edition (paper) and the e-version of the full book.
And of course: thanks to Allways sixteen Mark.
#NetGalley #TomsCrossing
———————————
After receiving the Teaser Edition of Tom’s Crossing—as living in France, I am really lucky, thank you so much— and savoring all these 159 pages or 1st act — I am not ashamed to claim that’s a masterpiece: the XXIst century western everyone should read.
I know that westerns are, but maybe I’m wrong, especially in my country, a little bit “old fashioned” and more watched on screen than read.
Let me tell you that you never read such a western like that.
Of course, all the characteristics of this literary story are in it: Stetsons, guns, horses, pokers, campfires tales… and more.
But all of these are renewed.
First of all, it’s a tale told by someone, transmitted from one to another (just a thought), and, transcribed. . . But when?
Where? By who? Or . . . what?
Time is also moving from past to future, to past, and a lot of questions are here to maintain the reader in waiting to read the 1232 pages of the full story.
So once you begin to read, and savoring it more and more, you only want to know more.
You won’t be able to put it down: it’s really addictive and you will feel happy, angry, sad, heartbreaking.
Note to those who already known Danielewski’s novels, you won’t be deceived — still some, well, Easter eggs, specially for you.
For those who didn’t read any of his work, this one is for you.
A standalone novel/story that will haunt you for years.
Even if you never loved westerns.
Impossible to be indifferent to the rhythm , the poetry of sentences, the structure, and much more.
So, preorder it right now and prepare yourself to an incomparable journey among UTAH mountains, trails… and ghosts.
Believe me, Tom’s Crossing deserves an NBA.
Don’t miss it!
(and if you remember what I said at the top of this review, all of that only in 159 pages — I let you imagine how mindblowing will be the full book!)
Don’t be scared
"The greatest damage caused by this technology is that people can no longer concentrate, can no longer enjoy concentrating. Reading a long novel is one of my greatest sources of pleasure. But most people refuse to do it because reading a long novel isn’t fun if you’re constantly interrupted."
— William T. Vollmann
What William T. Vollmann says can be seen as a manual for reading the 1,232 pages of Tom's Crossing. And if you apply it, you’ll experience the joy of diving into one of the greatest sources of pleasure.
So, reader, don’t be scared and earn this "western" that will repay you a hundredfold. The quotation marks above are important, and we’ll come back to that.
Mark Z. Danielewski is primarily known for House of Leaves, an extraordinary novel, a work of art in its own right, published in 2000, which, even 25 years later, has not aged a bit, still arousing interest, intrigue, to the point where it is read, reread, and gives rise to all sorts of theories — each reader with their own theory, one might say; in other words: this is definitely for you.
We won’t revisit the other projects/works of Mark Z. Danielewski, all equally interesting and innovative.
Tom’s Crossing. "Western" (again, note the quotation marks)
We won’t revisit the story summary, which is very brief, unlike the novel itself. Just know that you’ll find all the ingredients of a "western" here: Stetsons (including on the cover), horses, poker games, legends passed down orally by the campfire, "duels," villains, the mountains of Utah, etc. Nothing is missing.
But it goes much further than that. The structure, the words used, their double meanings, their sounds, the poetic beauty of some descriptions, the rhythm (Clop-Clop-clip-Clop), the cinematography of the scenes, the musicality — all of this, and more, pulls you in, forcing you to devour these 1,232 pages while, yes, forgetting everything around you.
The characters? Some are endearing, so much so that you’ll shudder, laugh, and even get teary-eyed. Others are despicable, violent, liars, killers — you’ll want to clench your fists and wish them a horrible death.
And there are secondary characters whose names sometimes sound very Pynchonian, stepping in like the timeline in Only Revolutions. Not to mention... the ghosts. (Don’t flinch, it’s so well done that you’ll believe in them too).
Is that the Mark of a good novel?
Certainly.
But Danielewski goes further. Nothing is left to chance in Tom’s Crossing: from the alteration of certain words to mythological references, and much more.
Everything.
Has.
Meaning.
Even the Easter eggs for HOL, Only Revolutions and The Familiar’s readers.
And it will require a second reading.
Because Tom’s Crossing will haunt you long after you’ve finished it.
We almost forgot: why the quotation marks around "western"? Because if it is one, it’s much bigger, it goes much deeper on the inside than on the outside.
So: don’t be scared.
And read!
[side note: even for a non native English, don’t need a dictionary to read Tom’s Crossing, its “music” is largely speakable]
Spécial thanks to Pantheon Books for the Teaser Edition (paper) and the e-version of the full book.
And of course: thanks to Allways sixteen Mark.
#NetGalley #TomsCrossing
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After receiving the Teaser Edition of Tom’s Crossing—as living in France, I am really lucky, thank you so much— and savoring all these 159 pages or 1st act — I am not ashamed to claim that’s a masterpiece: the XXIst century western everyone should read.
I know that westerns are, but maybe I’m wrong, especially in my country, a little bit “old fashioned” and more watched on screen than read.
Let me tell you that you never read such a western like that.
Of course, all the characteristics of this literary story are in it: Stetsons, guns, horses, pokers, campfires tales… and more.
But all of these are renewed.
First of all, it’s a tale told by someone, transmitted from one to another (just a thought), and, transcribed. . . But when?
Where? By who? Or . . . what?
Time is also moving from past to future, to past, and a lot of questions are here to maintain the reader in waiting to read the 1232 pages of the full story.
So once you begin to read, and savoring it more and more, you only want to know more.
You won’t be able to put it down: it’s really addictive and you will feel happy, angry, sad, heartbreaking.
Note to those who already known Danielewski’s novels, you won’t be deceived — still some, well, Easter eggs, specially for you.
For those who didn’t read any of his work, this one is for you.
A standalone novel/story that will haunt you for years.
Even if you never loved westerns.
Impossible to be indifferent to the rhythm , the poetry of sentences, the structure, and much more.
So, preorder it right now and prepare yourself to an incomparable journey among UTAH mountains, trails… and ghosts.
Believe me, Tom’s Crossing deserves an NBA.
Don’t miss it!
(and if you remember what I said at the top of this review, all of that only in 159 pages — I let you imagine how mindblowing will be the full book!)
June 13, 2025
I was lucky enough to receive a galley copy of Tom’s Crossing from Pantheon and I could not have been more ecstatic. Thank you so much.
This book is 1232 pages of beauty. Both in language and plot. I cried several times and laughed out loud even more. Several scenes in this book had my heart literally racing. I could feel the tension in my chest as if I were on that mountain. And the characters truly feel alive. There are several characters who within the span of a few paragraphs become fully realized, reach out, and seize your heart. And of course, there are MZD’s trademark rumination on any topic under the sun. They pull you away from the narrative to drop some of the most gorgeous lines I have ever read only to lead you right back into the plot. They felt like the small side paths on a hike that bring you to the most spectacular view. Don’t be afraid to sit and revel in the view.
1232 pages is daunting for any book, but it is well worth it. I guarantee if you read the first three chapters, you won’t be able to stop yourself from continuing. Perhaps my biggest praise is that I’m already planning a reread.
MZD is, in my opinion, a singular voice. That being said, I can see lots of incredible influences/comparisons such as Melville, Pynchon, “Lone Wolf and Cub,” The Coen Brothers and McCarthy.
And for the eagle eyed MZD fans, this book is full of treasures.
This book is 1232 pages of beauty. Both in language and plot. I cried several times and laughed out loud even more. Several scenes in this book had my heart literally racing. I could feel the tension in my chest as if I were on that mountain. And the characters truly feel alive. There are several characters who within the span of a few paragraphs become fully realized, reach out, and seize your heart. And of course, there are MZD’s trademark rumination on any topic under the sun. They pull you away from the narrative to drop some of the most gorgeous lines I have ever read only to lead you right back into the plot. They felt like the small side paths on a hike that bring you to the most spectacular view. Don’t be afraid to sit and revel in the view.
1232 pages is daunting for any book, but it is well worth it. I guarantee if you read the first three chapters, you won’t be able to stop yourself from continuing. Perhaps my biggest praise is that I’m already planning a reread.
MZD is, in my opinion, a singular voice. That being said, I can see lots of incredible influences/comparisons such as Melville, Pynchon, “Lone Wolf and Cub,” The Coen Brothers and McCarthy.
And for the eagle eyed MZD fans, this book is full of treasures.
November 7, 2025
Updated upon finishing.
Blown Away! I find it very hard to summarize this tale because it totally escapes the bounds of the book that pretends to contain it. Instead, I'd rather focus on the experience it offers and the journey it demands. You will not leave Tom's Crossing unfulfilled, but you must persevere in order to summit. I have often found Danielewski's novels to be like machines that take in readers of all types and hone their skill and confidence until they are all together a more imaginative reader (and person) by the end.
How can the rhythm of a book synchronize with a grieving heart? This was the question I asked myself repeatedly while reading Tom's Crossing. I found myself asking other's reading the ARC copies if they were having a similar experience, because at times I truly didn't know if it was my own grief or a power the book had itself. The central loss, is that of a sibling. I couldn't help but to mourn my own brother while reading it. The night I discovered his name in the passages was deeply personal but altogether mystical.
I had to take rests, several days at times, away from the journey to be still and sit in the feelings that Mark's wonderful and challenging prose brought up. This is not a book everyone will be able to read quickly. It is ok, even preferable, to approach it at the pace that feels most comfortable to you. Depending on what you bring to it, you will be carrying a light or heavy pack down the trails. Rest when you can, push on when you have the strength. I longed for the fire side restorations our characters needed. I needed them too.
Sometimes I felt I was reading bits of McCarthy rewriting the Iliad. Or maybe it was McMurtry helping with a screen play for the Coen brothers this time. There are times when the book feels like an amalgamation of every writer who has ever influenced it, all of their harmonies under one gorgeous hymn. Tom's Crossing is not House of Leaves but it similarly asks the reader to sacrifice something in order to finish it. It's not any other work by Danielewski. But just like the book's predecessors, Mark's harmony is there, a gentle composer guiding all other sounds.
You will find Joy here. You will find Elation. You will find beauty. The kind that make you want to weep for the loss of it. That is where you will also find Grief, and pain, and even violence. You will find accomplishment, solace, and catharsis. Inside this sweeping giant of a tale is an opportunity to face what you've been carrying, and to choose how far you're bringing it with you. Finishing this work is not a choice, but a requirement to anyone wanting the experience offered. You will finish Tom's Crossing a better reader. I hope you'll accept the challenge to do so.
Blown Away! I find it very hard to summarize this tale because it totally escapes the bounds of the book that pretends to contain it. Instead, I'd rather focus on the experience it offers and the journey it demands. You will not leave Tom's Crossing unfulfilled, but you must persevere in order to summit. I have often found Danielewski's novels to be like machines that take in readers of all types and hone their skill and confidence until they are all together a more imaginative reader (and person) by the end.
How can the rhythm of a book synchronize with a grieving heart? This was the question I asked myself repeatedly while reading Tom's Crossing. I found myself asking other's reading the ARC copies if they were having a similar experience, because at times I truly didn't know if it was my own grief or a power the book had itself. The central loss, is that of a sibling. I couldn't help but to mourn my own brother while reading it. The night I discovered his name in the passages was deeply personal but altogether mystical.
I had to take rests, several days at times, away from the journey to be still and sit in the feelings that Mark's wonderful and challenging prose brought up. This is not a book everyone will be able to read quickly. It is ok, even preferable, to approach it at the pace that feels most comfortable to you. Depending on what you bring to it, you will be carrying a light or heavy pack down the trails. Rest when you can, push on when you have the strength. I longed for the fire side restorations our characters needed. I needed them too.
Sometimes I felt I was reading bits of McCarthy rewriting the Iliad. Or maybe it was McMurtry helping with a screen play for the Coen brothers this time. There are times when the book feels like an amalgamation of every writer who has ever influenced it, all of their harmonies under one gorgeous hymn. Tom's Crossing is not House of Leaves but it similarly asks the reader to sacrifice something in order to finish it. It's not any other work by Danielewski. But just like the book's predecessors, Mark's harmony is there, a gentle composer guiding all other sounds.
You will find Joy here. You will find Elation. You will find beauty. The kind that make you want to weep for the loss of it. That is where you will also find Grief, and pain, and even violence. You will find accomplishment, solace, and catharsis. Inside this sweeping giant of a tale is an opportunity to face what you've been carrying, and to choose how far you're bringing it with you. Finishing this work is not a choice, but a requirement to anyone wanting the experience offered. You will finish Tom's Crossing a better reader. I hope you'll accept the challenge to do so.
August 2, 2025
This book tries to be everything: a western, coming of age, academic, legal procedural, literary and a bunch more I’m sure I didn’t catch because I was working through 1,200 pages. Usually I tear through book; this one tore through me. I couldn’t tell how much was done as an artistic choice and how much was done as a way to mess with me (readers). I don’t know how to feel about this book. There’s some really high highs where I’m like “this is the good stuff. This is worth the slow slow slow build.” And then there’s the slow slow slow build. Perhaps as a reader, I was challenged in my patience and belief in the author. But I finished, and what do I have to show for it? A new appreciation for short books, brevity and the like. This would’ve been a masterpiece in 800 pages. At 1200, I can’t get over the length and the pacing and the decision-making that got us here. I’ll stop my rambling here. Brevity.
July 31, 2025
Finishing this book (I just read the last page not two minutes ago) feels so surreal. It lived up to and exceeded every expectation I had, and so many expectations I wasn’t smart enough to have.
For MZD fans, this is everything you’ve been waiting for. For non-fans, this will convert you. Nobody else writes like this.
I don’t want to say anything about plot, except to say that it’s breathtaking.
But the things I do want to say: these characters are so fully realized—they make real choices with real consequences, there are high stakes, honest emotions, incredible dialogue.
The setting, more than any books coming to mind (except maybe House of Leaves, makes sense), becomes a contributing member of the cast in such surprising and beautiful and terrifying ways.
But it’s really on the sentence- and word-level that so much action takes place. The syntax of these sentences, the explosive sounds of the words, the specificity of words, and the deliberateness of crafting phrases that feel meaning-full down to the syllable… it’s unrelenting, and fills up your whole brain.
It’s a book that makes you think different while you’re not reading it, which I think means it’s something especially special.
For MZD fans, this is everything you’ve been waiting for. For non-fans, this will convert you. Nobody else writes like this.
I don’t want to say anything about plot, except to say that it’s breathtaking.
But the things I do want to say: these characters are so fully realized—they make real choices with real consequences, there are high stakes, honest emotions, incredible dialogue.
The setting, more than any books coming to mind (except maybe House of Leaves, makes sense), becomes a contributing member of the cast in such surprising and beautiful and terrifying ways.
But it’s really on the sentence- and word-level that so much action takes place. The syntax of these sentences, the explosive sounds of the words, the specificity of words, and the deliberateness of crafting phrases that feel meaning-full down to the syllable… it’s unrelenting, and fills up your whole brain.
It’s a book that makes you think different while you’re not reading it, which I think means it’s something especially special.
Want to read
March 12, 2025Speculations
Maybe it is, and will remain, literally untitled - so much so that "untitled" isn't even a proper title - a book with literally no name, just a blank space and an ISBN
- 1,200+ pages, but caution the fact that quite a few of those will be either blank or a single sentence, or a sideways word.
- Update: wrong on the "untitled" speculation - I like the title Tom's Crossing...has an Americana vibe, a sad vibe, an echo of Cormac McCarthy and Mark Twain
- Update: The very brief description, that it's about some guys trying to save some horses from some slaughter gives some Cormac McCarthy vibes - the speculation, as it was, is now over. But, hey, when I was reading Passenger and Stella Maris? Got a strong Mark/Poe vibe w/r/t the brother/sister dynamic. Just chiseling it down.
Maybe it is, and will remain, literally untitled - so much so that "untitled" isn't even a proper title - a book with literally no name, just a blank space and an ISBN
- 1,200+ pages, but caution the fact that quite a few of those will be either blank or a single sentence, or a sideways word.
- Update: wrong on the "untitled" speculation - I like the title Tom's Crossing...has an Americana vibe, a sad vibe, an echo of Cormac McCarthy and Mark Twain
- Update: The very brief description, that it's about some guys trying to save some horses from some slaughter gives some Cormac McCarthy vibes - the speculation, as it was, is now over. But, hey, when I was reading Passenger and Stella Maris? Got a strong Mark/Poe vibe w/r/t the brother/sister dynamic. Just chiseling it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2025
This is an epic story indeed. For those familiar with House of Leaves, this story is straightforwardly written.
There is a lot of language and storytelling which sometimes takes too much of a detour imho before returning to the main story. Nonetheless, it is very worth sticking to it and taking in the story as a whole.
The writing is amazing. For example, here is a random sentence:
What remains of paramount importance here was how these immediate moments unfoldin before little Landry’s eyes, either a miracle of weirdness or a foul conjurin that betwixt her yearnins for reunion with her dead brother and her chariness before a display of such odd pantomimes, dazzled her wits and left poor Landry stutterin some for common sense.
I found the story at times required some patience (it’s 1229 pages) but it was worth the journey.
8 days later:
A fascinating video (link below) by Mark Danielewski about how he relates to this book, how an inner voice was advancing the story, the process of writing and going through 10 drafts, how sad he is to leave the characters, writing as an art, etc.
Really interesting!
https://youtu.be/cR0eG0WjKg0?si=HS8kV...
There is a lot of language and storytelling which sometimes takes too much of a detour imho before returning to the main story. Nonetheless, it is very worth sticking to it and taking in the story as a whole.
The writing is amazing. For example, here is a random sentence:
What remains of paramount importance here was how these immediate moments unfoldin before little Landry’s eyes, either a miracle of weirdness or a foul conjurin that betwixt her yearnins for reunion with her dead brother and her chariness before a display of such odd pantomimes, dazzled her wits and left poor Landry stutterin some for common sense.
I found the story at times required some patience (it’s 1229 pages) but it was worth the journey.
8 days later:
A fascinating video (link below) by Mark Danielewski about how he relates to this book, how an inner voice was advancing the story, the process of writing and going through 10 drafts, how sad he is to leave the characters, writing as an art, etc.
Really interesting!
https://youtu.be/cR0eG0WjKg0?si=HS8kV...
October 22, 2025
My Dad passed away on the last day of November last year. Over the past 11 months I never felt compelled to share my grief publicly. It’s not that I’ve been particularly private about the matter; I have spoken at length with close friends and family about the cycles and spirals that have consumed my mind in the wake of my unfathomable loss. There was something that felt off about the thought of making a post online about my Dad. It is simply impossible to encapsulate what was special about the relationship I had with him; it is seemingly just as futile to attempt to express the heart-rending devastation caused by his absence. An attempt to capture the immensity of it all within a post of a dozen pictures and a few paragraphs of text (no matter how heartfelt) would be an act of hubris, a fool’s errand. Why bring it up now, then? I still may not be completely comfortable sharing all of the details, but I feel that it is necessary to give some context for my experience with Tom’s Crossing.
Sometimes life finds a way of bringing something to your doorstep at the precise moment that it will have a significant impact on your life, a compass to guide you. It could be a person, an opportunity, an idea, maybe even something as simple as a book. You may call it serendipity, luck, fate, God, or just the chaos of the universe throwing spaghetti at the wall. Whatever it is that you deem this force at work to be, I hope that you have had the pleasure of receiving one of its gifts. My most recent, and likely most profound experience of this phenomenon began in May of this year, and it indeed came in the form of a book.
I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Mark Z. Danielewski’s newest novel about six months prior to its release. I have little to no platform for publicity and I don’t write book reviews, but the post stated that there were a few copies set aside for major fans of Danielewski’s work (that’s me). When the publisher posted about the chance to win one of these galleys I submitted a brief paragraph in response about an hour before the deadline. The possibility of actually receiving a copy of the book slid to the back of my mind, so I was ecstatic when I came home from work one day to find the (surprisingly heavy) package on my doorstep with labels from Pantheon Books. My partner expressed concern about what was happening as she watched me sit on the step and impatiently (savagely) tear the box apart, revealing the treasure inside.
I’m going to rewind quickly and provide more context (bear with me and the formless structure of this all, as I stated before I am certainly no book critic (or writer in general!)). Mark Z. Danielewski is my favorite author and has been for quite some time. When I was a sophomore in high school, I discovered House of Leaves through discussions on a literature forum and I was immediately intrigued. I remember the ride home from Borders, feeling intimidated by this monster of a book. Not only was it physically larger than the novels of Orwell and Hemingway that I had recently been consuming, but flipping through this tome I took note of the odd typography, colored text, and seemingly endless footnotes that sprawled across its pages (damn this site for not letting me change my font color in this review). For my 16-year-old brain it was a herculean effort to make it through the labyrinthine book, rereading pages and whole chapters while navigating the maze of its h[allways].
In the years since, my connection to the book has only grown as I’ve revisited that strange house on Ash Tree Lane. I had never truly sunk my teeth into the rest of Mark’s work until his series The Familiar came out. Once again I found myself captivated by this other world that existed within the pages, and I obsessed over the five volumes until the series was unfortunately canceled. While mourning The Familiar I went back and read pretty much everything I could find that Mark had written, further entrenching myself in the magick of that parallel universe.
A few years ago Mark began to talk about his new novel in a series of stories on Instagram, expounding upon his creative process and giving his fans a glimpse into his own (metaphorical(?)) journey to Tom’s Crossing. For an author of works that many consider to be cryptic and seemingly impenetrable, the transparency that Mark exhibits is generous. These posts evolved into longer youtube videos, posted once, maybe twice a year. I was there every step of the way, eager to read this new novel he was working on but also absorbing his thoughts on work and creativity in hopes that I could apply or adapt them for myself. All of my meandering here is in hope that I can provide a sense of the bigger picture, a view from the summit. When you reach the top of the mountain you may see that the path you have been travelling on started long before you realized, reaching far beyond the base where you thought this all began.
Back to me holding Tom’s Crossing for the first time. At this point in time I am a battle-hardened veteran; one that has dug deep into Danielewski’s works and emerged from the trenches victorious. And yet, there is the familiar feeling of intimidation while holding this 1232 page book. An absolute behemoth. I think to myself, “Sure this book is massive, but I’m sure the word count is lower than expected, considering many of the pages will be dedicated to the negative space required for Mark’s signature typography.” WRONG. As I flipped through, I was surprised to see full pages of text and (mostly) traditional spacing and format (besides the trade of dialogue quotation marks for italic font, and a few other subtle quirks). This unexpectedly tame structure somehow made me even more excited to dive in.
I do not enjoy plot synopses in reviews, so you will find minimal descriptions of the plot here. I believe simplicity is powerful when presenting a description for someone before letting them experience it for themself. House of Leaves is about a house that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. The Familiar is about a girl who finds a kitten. What I’ll tell you about Tom’s Crossing is that this is a story about two horses and the two friends who set out to free them. A few others tag along for their journey over the mountain. It’s a western set in Utah, in October of 1982. The main sections of this gargantuan book take place over the course of about five days. It goes without saying that this is a sloooow burn tale. I think from this amount of information you can tell if this story, on its surface, is up your alley or not. What I am more interested in is talking about my personal experience with the book and how it made me feel.
The metaphor of a mountain to be climbed and conquered is not an uncommon one, for good reason. I am sure ambitious human beings throughout our history, all over the world, have gazed upon the towering titans of Earth and dreamed of scaling their faces, imagining the view from the dizzying heights, picturing the land that lay on the other side, and on all sides, including back from where they came. And this is not the first mountain in a work of art that has served as a reflection of my own internal struggles. When I played the game Celeste about seven years ago I heavily identified with Madeline’s journey up the mountain, and it played a significant role in my management of my mental health at the time. I know that mountain well, and that mountain knows me. Some days I can sit at the summit and calmly take in my surroundings. Occasionally I will stagger, slip, and fall down the scree, and have to make my way back up again. The path is long, but now familiar. Unfortunately, that climb could never have prepared me for this one; up the particularly cruel mountain of grief that urges me to let go and plummet.
I imagine the peak, I hope for its existence, but I do not believe it is there.
There are many connections I can make that echo my experience with grief in this past year. As I read about the loss that the characters in this novel go through I was constantly tracing lines back to myself. There were also pieces of my Dad that I kept seeing within the story. In short, the title character is described as being charismatic, well-respected and liked by most people within his community, and having a contagious laugh and being eager to share it with all around him. Anyone who knew my Dad could tell you that describes him pretty darn well. He was also about the same age as Tom Gatestone around the time that this story takes place. It was hard not to picture a young version of him in my mind as I was reading. Then who else to visualize as the best friend Kalin March other than Dad’s best friend when he was that age? A friend that he tragically lost during that time period (the parallels and inversions won’t be lost on you if you read this book). Though I obviously never met this friend, I do have a clear image of him in my mind; one imprinted by many years of glimpsing the photo of him that rested on my Dad’s bedside table until his own passing (it now lives within the pages of my Dad’s bible, along with other photographs of loved ones that he kept close). In a way that feels somehow intentional, or inevitable, these characters are now forever bound to these memories inherited. One last ride for them in my mind.
To me this book is about honoring your dead.
Let their presence be felt in absence.
Let them walk beside you as you continue to learn from them.
Let them shine a light down the path that guides you through the dark.
Much of this does not require action, these stones have been laid before you.
It requires the strength to remember and the awareness to notice.
We do have the responsibility of telling their stories.
How will we work to preserve their memory?
How will we carry them forward when our collective history becomes myth?
And beyond remembrance, we are entrusted to aid them in living on in spirit.
Will you lift up and care for those who were also left behind?
Will you spread the love and joy that the bodies of the dead can no longer contain?
Can you be their hands and close the loop of what they have left unresolved?
Jumping now to the end of this journey, I did eventually conquer the mountain that is Tom’s Crossing. Reaching the final pages left me feeling unimaginably grateful, lucky, and a bit empty and lonely (as incredible books often do). This story had taken on so much of my burden, more than its fair share of the load, and still I wished for more. I was not ready to say goodbye (are we ever?). I remember closing the book and holding it in front of me. It felt small in my hands. What had once appeared to be colossal and fathomless was now shrunken and meek. Though I cannot use a tape measure to prove it, this house is undeniably bigger on the inside. This is not unique to this novel, but for me the magnitude of its capacity is incalculable and unlike anything else I have experienced in fiction. I wonder how these simple printed pages contain such profound comfort for me in the wake of calamity; how is it possible that it can hold even a portion of my pain? I may not understand it but I will endlessly acknowledge and appreciate it.
Rewinding once more to the middle. There were countless moments that touched me throughout Tom’s Crossing, often moving me to tears. There are two passages in particular that struck me like lightning, and I would like to highlight them as I look down on the path that led me here. Light spoilers ahead. As I was reading the book this past summer (I believe I was a little more than halfway through), I came across a phrase that felt deeply resonant and strangely familiar to me. I read the words over again and again; I just couldn’t seem to place where I had read them before. I was fully distracted now, and I wandered into the other room to look at my bookshelf. I glimpsed an envelope tucked in the corner next to my other Danielewski books and then I remembered: the Christmas card I had received from Mark’s mailing list back in December, postmarked the day after my Dad passed away. It had arrived in the days after his sudden passing so I had barely processed its existence. I opened the envelope to see the two horses greeting me, then unfolded the card to confirm my suspicion:
“How in a Hollow to become a Heart? How in Power to be Kind?”
Words that I was not ready to receive that lied in wait on my shelf and in the back of my mind. A seed planted and grown to fruition without my conscious awareness. A token to remind me that even when on the verge of collapse there are invisible threads holding it all together.
One thing I admire about Mark’s work is the community that has formed around it (and has been fostered by the empathy and care he displays through his writing). Through these books that I have treasured for so long, I have inadvertently been caught in the web crafted by them and the devoted readers that have reached out and caught each other's hands. As I understand it, this community has been going strong online since House of Leaves was first published 25 years ago. Mark and his team continue to be active participants, and they have established a consistent dialogue with the fanbase over the years. The Christmas cards are just one of the many ways he reaches out and strengthens the connection between author and reader.
My final vignette begins with a social media post on Mark’s Instagram, about a year ago. A peculiar message calling to “bring forth your dead.” I responded to the request with two names. Kenneth and Martin Levey. Kenneth being my grandfather (Dad’s dad) who passed away in 2019. Martin being the stray cat my Dad took in after I left for college, who passed in 2022 (possibly ridiculous submission, but cats have a significant place in the MZD universe (and I loved the little bastard)). This was all before Tom’s Crossing had been announced, I had no idea what the intention of this collection of the dead was. Shortly after this my Dad died; the world proceeded to spin as I was stuck in place. Months passed and then in February a follow up request to “bring forth your dead.” I unfortunately had another name to offer so I emailed my Dad’s name as well. The world spun. More time passed and I was now reading Tom’s Crossing. I was anticipating that the names of the dead would be utilized in some way within or surrounding this novel, in what way I had no clue. I won’t describe the details in case you decide to read it, but about a quarter of the way through the book there is a scene where spirits of the dead join the horses on their expedition. The imagery is stunning and powerful, you will have to read it for yourself for the full scope of it all. As a group of the arisen dead approaches, the page is turned, and a list of hundreds of names fills the next two pages of text. Among the first few names I see my grandpa and my cat. I scanned the names eagerly and eventually saw the one I was hoping to find: T.J. Levey
I am simply incapable of describing the emotions I felt as I processed the significance of this inclusion. I was overwhelmed looking at this list of names of people who were cared for and lost, each with their own stories to tell, each with their own friends and family who are grieving just as I am. Not only has Tom’s Crossing supported me in my personal, internal grief process, it also serves as a memorial for my Dad and a way to preserve his memory and name. A collective monument to carry forth the late loved ones of this community. Despite the darkness, I feel fortunate to have my family be a part of this masterwork that Mark Z. Danielewski has crafted.
I do not believe in any kind of afterlife, as much as that would relieve the weight of the events of this past year. But I now have an image in my mind of my Dad catching up with his father (and that cat that they both adored) as they journey up and over the mountain, to the crossing where grief is quelled and peace is plentiful. I hope that we will all meet there someday.
Maybe it's not necessary to believe it. Maybe hope is enough.
Sometimes life finds a way of bringing something to your doorstep at the precise moment that it will have a significant impact on your life, a compass to guide you. It could be a person, an opportunity, an idea, maybe even something as simple as a book. You may call it serendipity, luck, fate, God, or just the chaos of the universe throwing spaghetti at the wall. Whatever it is that you deem this force at work to be, I hope that you have had the pleasure of receiving one of its gifts. My most recent, and likely most profound experience of this phenomenon began in May of this year, and it indeed came in the form of a book.
I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Mark Z. Danielewski’s newest novel about six months prior to its release. I have little to no platform for publicity and I don’t write book reviews, but the post stated that there were a few copies set aside for major fans of Danielewski’s work (that’s me). When the publisher posted about the chance to win one of these galleys I submitted a brief paragraph in response about an hour before the deadline. The possibility of actually receiving a copy of the book slid to the back of my mind, so I was ecstatic when I came home from work one day to find the (surprisingly heavy) package on my doorstep with labels from Pantheon Books. My partner expressed concern about what was happening as she watched me sit on the step and impatiently (savagely) tear the box apart, revealing the treasure inside.
I’m going to rewind quickly and provide more context (bear with me and the formless structure of this all, as I stated before I am certainly no book critic (or writer in general!)). Mark Z. Danielewski is my favorite author and has been for quite some time. When I was a sophomore in high school, I discovered House of Leaves through discussions on a literature forum and I was immediately intrigued. I remember the ride home from Borders, feeling intimidated by this monster of a book. Not only was it physically larger than the novels of Orwell and Hemingway that I had recently been consuming, but flipping through this tome I took note of the odd typography, colored text, and seemingly endless footnotes that sprawled across its pages (damn this site for not letting me change my font color in this review). For my 16-year-old brain it was a herculean effort to make it through the labyrinthine book, rereading pages and whole chapters while navigating the maze of its h[allways].
In the years since, my connection to the book has only grown as I’ve revisited that strange house on Ash Tree Lane. I had never truly sunk my teeth into the rest of Mark’s work until his series The Familiar came out. Once again I found myself captivated by this other world that existed within the pages, and I obsessed over the five volumes until the series was unfortunately canceled. While mourning The Familiar I went back and read pretty much everything I could find that Mark had written, further entrenching myself in the magick of that parallel universe.
A few years ago Mark began to talk about his new novel in a series of stories on Instagram, expounding upon his creative process and giving his fans a glimpse into his own (metaphorical(?)) journey to Tom’s Crossing. For an author of works that many consider to be cryptic and seemingly impenetrable, the transparency that Mark exhibits is generous. These posts evolved into longer youtube videos, posted once, maybe twice a year. I was there every step of the way, eager to read this new novel he was working on but also absorbing his thoughts on work and creativity in hopes that I could apply or adapt them for myself. All of my meandering here is in hope that I can provide a sense of the bigger picture, a view from the summit. When you reach the top of the mountain you may see that the path you have been travelling on started long before you realized, reaching far beyond the base where you thought this all began.
Back to me holding Tom’s Crossing for the first time. At this point in time I am a battle-hardened veteran; one that has dug deep into Danielewski’s works and emerged from the trenches victorious. And yet, there is the familiar feeling of intimidation while holding this 1232 page book. An absolute behemoth. I think to myself, “Sure this book is massive, but I’m sure the word count is lower than expected, considering many of the pages will be dedicated to the negative space required for Mark’s signature typography.” WRONG. As I flipped through, I was surprised to see full pages of text and (mostly) traditional spacing and format (besides the trade of dialogue quotation marks for italic font, and a few other subtle quirks). This unexpectedly tame structure somehow made me even more excited to dive in.
I do not enjoy plot synopses in reviews, so you will find minimal descriptions of the plot here. I believe simplicity is powerful when presenting a description for someone before letting them experience it for themself. House of Leaves is about a house that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. The Familiar is about a girl who finds a kitten. What I’ll tell you about Tom’s Crossing is that this is a story about two horses and the two friends who set out to free them. A few others tag along for their journey over the mountain. It’s a western set in Utah, in October of 1982. The main sections of this gargantuan book take place over the course of about five days. It goes without saying that this is a sloooow burn tale. I think from this amount of information you can tell if this story, on its surface, is up your alley or not. What I am more interested in is talking about my personal experience with the book and how it made me feel.
The metaphor of a mountain to be climbed and conquered is not an uncommon one, for good reason. I am sure ambitious human beings throughout our history, all over the world, have gazed upon the towering titans of Earth and dreamed of scaling their faces, imagining the view from the dizzying heights, picturing the land that lay on the other side, and on all sides, including back from where they came. And this is not the first mountain in a work of art that has served as a reflection of my own internal struggles. When I played the game Celeste about seven years ago I heavily identified with Madeline’s journey up the mountain, and it played a significant role in my management of my mental health at the time. I know that mountain well, and that mountain knows me. Some days I can sit at the summit and calmly take in my surroundings. Occasionally I will stagger, slip, and fall down the scree, and have to make my way back up again. The path is long, but now familiar. Unfortunately, that climb could never have prepared me for this one; up the particularly cruel mountain of grief that urges me to let go and plummet.
I imagine the peak, I hope for its existence, but I do not believe it is there.
There are many connections I can make that echo my experience with grief in this past year. As I read about the loss that the characters in this novel go through I was constantly tracing lines back to myself. There were also pieces of my Dad that I kept seeing within the story. In short, the title character is described as being charismatic, well-respected and liked by most people within his community, and having a contagious laugh and being eager to share it with all around him. Anyone who knew my Dad could tell you that describes him pretty darn well. He was also about the same age as Tom Gatestone around the time that this story takes place. It was hard not to picture a young version of him in my mind as I was reading. Then who else to visualize as the best friend Kalin March other than Dad’s best friend when he was that age? A friend that he tragically lost during that time period (the parallels and inversions won’t be lost on you if you read this book). Though I obviously never met this friend, I do have a clear image of him in my mind; one imprinted by many years of glimpsing the photo of him that rested on my Dad’s bedside table until his own passing (it now lives within the pages of my Dad’s bible, along with other photographs of loved ones that he kept close). In a way that feels somehow intentional, or inevitable, these characters are now forever bound to these memories inherited. One last ride for them in my mind.
To me this book is about honoring your dead.
Let their presence be felt in absence.
Let them walk beside you as you continue to learn from them.
Let them shine a light down the path that guides you through the dark.
Much of this does not require action, these stones have been laid before you.
It requires the strength to remember and the awareness to notice.
We do have the responsibility of telling their stories.
How will we work to preserve their memory?
How will we carry them forward when our collective history becomes myth?
And beyond remembrance, we are entrusted to aid them in living on in spirit.
Will you lift up and care for those who were also left behind?
Will you spread the love and joy that the bodies of the dead can no longer contain?
Can you be their hands and close the loop of what they have left unresolved?
Jumping now to the end of this journey, I did eventually conquer the mountain that is Tom’s Crossing. Reaching the final pages left me feeling unimaginably grateful, lucky, and a bit empty and lonely (as incredible books often do). This story had taken on so much of my burden, more than its fair share of the load, and still I wished for more. I was not ready to say goodbye (are we ever?). I remember closing the book and holding it in front of me. It felt small in my hands. What had once appeared to be colossal and fathomless was now shrunken and meek. Though I cannot use a tape measure to prove it, this house is undeniably bigger on the inside. This is not unique to this novel, but for me the magnitude of its capacity is incalculable and unlike anything else I have experienced in fiction. I wonder how these simple printed pages contain such profound comfort for me in the wake of calamity; how is it possible that it can hold even a portion of my pain? I may not understand it but I will endlessly acknowledge and appreciate it.
Rewinding once more to the middle. There were countless moments that touched me throughout Tom’s Crossing, often moving me to tears. There are two passages in particular that struck me like lightning, and I would like to highlight them as I look down on the path that led me here. Light spoilers ahead. As I was reading the book this past summer (I believe I was a little more than halfway through), I came across a phrase that felt deeply resonant and strangely familiar to me. I read the words over again and again; I just couldn’t seem to place where I had read them before. I was fully distracted now, and I wandered into the other room to look at my bookshelf. I glimpsed an envelope tucked in the corner next to my other Danielewski books and then I remembered: the Christmas card I had received from Mark’s mailing list back in December, postmarked the day after my Dad passed away. It had arrived in the days after his sudden passing so I had barely processed its existence. I opened the envelope to see the two horses greeting me, then unfolded the card to confirm my suspicion:
“How in a Hollow to become a Heart? How in Power to be Kind?”
Words that I was not ready to receive that lied in wait on my shelf and in the back of my mind. A seed planted and grown to fruition without my conscious awareness. A token to remind me that even when on the verge of collapse there are invisible threads holding it all together.
One thing I admire about Mark’s work is the community that has formed around it (and has been fostered by the empathy and care he displays through his writing). Through these books that I have treasured for so long, I have inadvertently been caught in the web crafted by them and the devoted readers that have reached out and caught each other's hands. As I understand it, this community has been going strong online since House of Leaves was first published 25 years ago. Mark and his team continue to be active participants, and they have established a consistent dialogue with the fanbase over the years. The Christmas cards are just one of the many ways he reaches out and strengthens the connection between author and reader.
My final vignette begins with a social media post on Mark’s Instagram, about a year ago. A peculiar message calling to “bring forth your dead.” I responded to the request with two names. Kenneth and Martin Levey. Kenneth being my grandfather (Dad’s dad) who passed away in 2019. Martin being the stray cat my Dad took in after I left for college, who passed in 2022 (possibly ridiculous submission, but cats have a significant place in the MZD universe (and I loved the little bastard)). This was all before Tom’s Crossing had been announced, I had no idea what the intention of this collection of the dead was. Shortly after this my Dad died; the world proceeded to spin as I was stuck in place. Months passed and then in February a follow up request to “bring forth your dead.” I unfortunately had another name to offer so I emailed my Dad’s name as well. The world spun. More time passed and I was now reading Tom’s Crossing. I was anticipating that the names of the dead would be utilized in some way within or surrounding this novel, in what way I had no clue. I won’t describe the details in case you decide to read it, but about a quarter of the way through the book there is a scene where spirits of the dead join the horses on their expedition. The imagery is stunning and powerful, you will have to read it for yourself for the full scope of it all. As a group of the arisen dead approaches, the page is turned, and a list of hundreds of names fills the next two pages of text. Among the first few names I see my grandpa and my cat. I scanned the names eagerly and eventually saw the one I was hoping to find: T.J. Levey
I am simply incapable of describing the emotions I felt as I processed the significance of this inclusion. I was overwhelmed looking at this list of names of people who were cared for and lost, each with their own stories to tell, each with their own friends and family who are grieving just as I am. Not only has Tom’s Crossing supported me in my personal, internal grief process, it also serves as a memorial for my Dad and a way to preserve his memory and name. A collective monument to carry forth the late loved ones of this community. Despite the darkness, I feel fortunate to have my family be a part of this masterwork that Mark Z. Danielewski has crafted.
I do not believe in any kind of afterlife, as much as that would relieve the weight of the events of this past year. But I now have an image in my mind of my Dad catching up with his father (and that cat that they both adored) as they journey up and over the mountain, to the crossing where grief is quelled and peace is plentiful. I hope that we will all meet there someday.
Maybe it's not necessary to believe it. Maybe hope is enough.
Currently reading
May 29, 2025A book by MZD set in Utah? Sign me up. I'm lucky to have been sent an Advanced Reading Copy by Pantheon Books. The early pages talk about the cities "Orvpo" (read: Provo, where MZD went to high school just a few minutes south from where I went to high school) and "Rome" (read: Orem) -- Utah's small version of Twin Cities. I look forward to when it takes us into the mountains I'm familiar with. "Zurich Steel Mill" is in place of the actual Geneva Steel -- a nicely done Swiss-named switcheroo. The large, but shallow, "Mud Lake" is Utah Lake. "Isatch Range" is Wasatch Range (mountains). The "Battle Crick Massacre" is the Battle Creek Massacre, which happened in Battle Creek, which is now called Pleasant Grove, where I went to high school. "Cassidy Ski Resort" is Sundance Ski Resort. "Mount Katanogos" is Mount Timpanogos. "I Mountain for the I on its front" is Y Mountain. "Milkinson Center" is Wilkinson Center. There are also reference to real places with their actual names -- Timpview High, Springville, Squaw Peak, Strawberry Reservoir, Wallsburg, Etc. etc. All this is in the first 38 pages.
Now, what I mean by all this isn't that only those familiar with Utah will like it, or that slightly arranging names is revolutionary writing -- but rather it shows the depth of the research done to situate this story in a place. A sometimes bittersweet thing about being thoroughly familiar with a topic/place covered in a novel is that it is easy to see when shortcuts are taken and surface-level details are prioritized over in-depth ones, etc. MZD did his duty on the research that I recognize so I can extend that trust to the rest when he might expand beyond what and where I know.
Now onto those horses. Giddy up.
Now, what I mean by all this isn't that only those familiar with Utah will like it, or that slightly arranging names is revolutionary writing -- but rather it shows the depth of the research done to situate this story in a place. A sometimes bittersweet thing about being thoroughly familiar with a topic/place covered in a novel is that it is easy to see when shortcuts are taken and surface-level details are prioritized over in-depth ones, etc. MZD did his duty on the research that I recognize so I can extend that trust to the rest when he might expand beyond what and where I know.
Now onto those horses. Giddy up.
August 12, 2025
I finished TOM’S CROSSING over a week ago and it hasn’t left my thoughts since. This book was an absolute masterpiece and has all the makings of a present-day classic. MZD has created characters and a story that will stick with you long after you’ve read the final page.
I thought I was in the clear when I made it through the book without crying, having only teared up a bit here and there. But when I reached the end and realized this story was over, I couldn’t help but cry. The full weight of this story and everything that took place hit me in one fell swoop. This story is more than just two kids releasing a pair of horses. It’s a journey through grief. It’s a journey of perseverance and survival against unsurmountable odds.
The writing drew me in, made me feel like I was on the trail reminiscing with an old friend. The prose is outstanding and having hiked up mountains and ridden horses myself, I could so vividly picture the harsh but majestic terrain that is the backdrop. There are scenes that are so well written I felt like I was on the trail or in the room with these characters, watching as the events transpired, a bystander to all the volatile emotions.
The tension as Landry and Kalin take on the daunting task of setting them horses free was gritty and attention holding. I could feel the determination in every step taken, in every obstacle overcome. I was on that razors edge with them and those horses, one stumble away from oblivion. By the end, I was so emotionally attached to Landry, Kalin, Tom, Navidad and Mouse. Their experiences were so vividly conveyed that I felt like I rode through those mountains alongside them.
For me, this was a 6-star read. Nothing short of brilliant. It’s an emotionally charged, action-packed, epic journey that’ll have you crying, laughing and at times fuming. This book will draw you in and keep you immersed until the very end.
I thought I was in the clear when I made it through the book without crying, having only teared up a bit here and there. But when I reached the end and realized this story was over, I couldn’t help but cry. The full weight of this story and everything that took place hit me in one fell swoop. This story is more than just two kids releasing a pair of horses. It’s a journey through grief. It’s a journey of perseverance and survival against unsurmountable odds.
The writing drew me in, made me feel like I was on the trail reminiscing with an old friend. The prose is outstanding and having hiked up mountains and ridden horses myself, I could so vividly picture the harsh but majestic terrain that is the backdrop. There are scenes that are so well written I felt like I was on the trail or in the room with these characters, watching as the events transpired, a bystander to all the volatile emotions.
The tension as Landry and Kalin take on the daunting task of setting them horses free was gritty and attention holding. I could feel the determination in every step taken, in every obstacle overcome. I was on that razors edge with them and those horses, one stumble away from oblivion. By the end, I was so emotionally attached to Landry, Kalin, Tom, Navidad and Mouse. Their experiences were so vividly conveyed that I felt like I rode through those mountains alongside them.
For me, this was a 6-star read. Nothing short of brilliant. It’s an emotionally charged, action-packed, epic journey that’ll have you crying, laughing and at times fuming. This book will draw you in and keep you immersed until the very end.
August 20, 2025
“A Western with Ghosts & Heart”
Mark Z. Danielewski’s work has helped to shape my creative world. House of Leaves left a profound impact, influencing the way I think about story, structure, and the importance of emotional resonance. Keeping all of that in mind, and of my journey reading through his other work since I first visited Ash Tree Lane all those years ago, I didn't know what to really expect from this new epic, crossing something like 1,200 pages. But Tom’s Crossing is unmistakably Danielewski. The premise was surprising... but the experience was fresh and haunting in its own right.
No one talks to the dead for free... that tagline, so evocative and concerning to me, lingered as a constant reminder throughout my reading of the book and hung over every sentence.
I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy and included with the package was a neatly folded letter inside the cover. When the publisher asked that I “get the word out,” I felt compelled to do more than just that. I wanted to immortalize the feeling that this whole experience brought over me. The synchronous events that followed this bizarre little side project, what began as simply a journal and read-along review...
Well, I'll never forget it. allways.neocities.org
To fans of MZD and his canon: there’s something here for you. It made a lasting impression on me and it's one that I’m eager to share.
Mark Z. Danielewski’s work has helped to shape my creative world. House of Leaves left a profound impact, influencing the way I think about story, structure, and the importance of emotional resonance. Keeping all of that in mind, and of my journey reading through his other work since I first visited Ash Tree Lane all those years ago, I didn't know what to really expect from this new epic, crossing something like 1,200 pages. But Tom’s Crossing is unmistakably Danielewski. The premise was surprising... but the experience was fresh and haunting in its own right.
No one talks to the dead for free... that tagline, so evocative and concerning to me, lingered as a constant reminder throughout my reading of the book and hung over every sentence.
I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy and included with the package was a neatly folded letter inside the cover. When the publisher asked that I “get the word out,” I felt compelled to do more than just that. I wanted to immortalize the feeling that this whole experience brought over me. The synchronous events that followed this bizarre little side project, what began as simply a journal and read-along review...
Well, I'll never forget it. allways.neocities.org
To fans of MZD and his canon: there’s something here for you. It made a lasting impression on me and it's one that I’m eager to share.
August 24, 2025
Mark Z. Danielewksi is my favorite author, and this book reconfirms why I love his works so much! His collection of previous books are as stated in The Familiar/@Pantheon in the title pages: it is
M O R E T H A N R E A D I N G. We get to read between the lines, and with a little effort we can find beautifully crafted and layered worlds that emerge and give us more beauty and poetic messages; it is magical and precious and unforgettable.
Toms Crossing is an epic story set in the beautiful mountains of Utah in 1982 where two teenagers run from the law after saving two horses from their imminent death. This is a story about stories within stories with heroes, villains, and choices, but as life reveals, sometimes our choices are neither good or bad, but necessary; it is a story about death.
Toms Crossing is especially is important to me because I grew up at the same time about 45 minutes away from where it takes place, and it doesn't disappoint with all of the religious and cultural references--it was like a trip to and through my childhood.
I can't say enough about this book or Mark Z Danielewski's previously written works!
M O R E T H A N R E A D I N G. We get to read between the lines, and with a little effort we can find beautifully crafted and layered worlds that emerge and give us more beauty and poetic messages; it is magical and precious and unforgettable.
Toms Crossing is an epic story set in the beautiful mountains of Utah in 1982 where two teenagers run from the law after saving two horses from their imminent death. This is a story about stories within stories with heroes, villains, and choices, but as life reveals, sometimes our choices are neither good or bad, but necessary; it is a story about death.
Toms Crossing is especially is important to me because I grew up at the same time about 45 minutes away from where it takes place, and it doesn't disappoint with all of the religious and cultural references--it was like a trip to and through my childhood.
I can't say enough about this book or Mark Z Danielewski's previously written works!
June 28, 2025
(using this for the Teaser Edition of the book, 159pgs)
159 pages?? 159 pages? you give me 159 pages, which ends right with the BIGGEST cliffhanger of all time????
Part Lonesome Dove, part Yellowstone, part Stand By Me... in JUST the first 159 pages.
And now??, I have to wait until October to receive the remaining OVER 1000+ pages to find out how this will continue .
I call this cruel and unusual punishment. I will be waiting at my door for the completed book to arrive! I need to find out what happens to Kalin, Landry, Navidad, Mouse, and Jojo!! I'm soooo invested!!
159 pages?? 159 pages? you give me 159 pages, which ends right with the BIGGEST cliffhanger of all time????
Part Lonesome Dove, part Yellowstone, part Stand By Me... in JUST the first 159 pages.
And now??, I have to wait until October to receive the remaining OVER 1000+ pages to find out how this will continue .
I call this cruel and unusual punishment. I will be waiting at my door for the completed book to arrive! I need to find out what happens to Kalin, Landry, Navidad, Mouse, and Jojo!! I'm soooo invested!!
October 4, 2025
Tom's Crossing is a long book chronicling a long journey. Purposefully written as if it is a winding yarn being told to us orally, we follow a young boy named Kalin who wants to take two horses over the Utah mountains to honor the dying wishes of his best friend, Tom. Aided by Tom's sister Landry, the journey is fraught with perils natural to the rocky heights and October chill, and manmade trouble stemming from residents of their hometown of Orvop.
Tom's Crossing is purposefully written to be long in the tooth. It might test your patience but it is a deliberate effect, and a strange one at that. The events we are often invited to consider from close, from far, from different view points of different characters involved and ones who later view and tell the story themselves. This naturally includes the wonderful horses as well as the people.
It gives the impression of a modern day myth, told traditionally like ancient Greek stories but here in 1980s Utah. It heightens so many moments and people within the story and lends a mystical quality to the proceedings. It also makes the story about the story itself, and despite it's almighty length, it feels very particularly considered. It talks about the nature of people telling stories, how they develop, how we engage with them, and how the people involved in the stories are taken when they were real. This was real in the world of the book. It shaped the community, and was a landmark many recall, yet it is also a story. Those involved were multi-faceted and seen differently by those who knew them and even didn't know them. How does that change what had happened, even when it is factual?
There's so many different questions but as the book touches on actual myths, one query that crops up time and time again is "what if...?" Could things have been different, what would have changed if they had, or might they have always been going down this road of destiny with no chance of diverting off the path? There is a heavy weight the proceedings, a palpable foreboding that will convince you to keep these pages turning and take you over the mountain to the end.
Ultimately I will read it again, and that's a hell of a thing to think of such a long book. It's a unique book from a unique author, and I'm glad to have read it.
Tom's Crossing is purposefully written to be long in the tooth. It might test your patience but it is a deliberate effect, and a strange one at that. The events we are often invited to consider from close, from far, from different view points of different characters involved and ones who later view and tell the story themselves. This naturally includes the wonderful horses as well as the people.
It gives the impression of a modern day myth, told traditionally like ancient Greek stories but here in 1980s Utah. It heightens so many moments and people within the story and lends a mystical quality to the proceedings. It also makes the story about the story itself, and despite it's almighty length, it feels very particularly considered. It talks about the nature of people telling stories, how they develop, how we engage with them, and how the people involved in the stories are taken when they were real. This was real in the world of the book. It shaped the community, and was a landmark many recall, yet it is also a story. Those involved were multi-faceted and seen differently by those who knew them and even didn't know them. How does that change what had happened, even when it is factual?
There's so many different questions but as the book touches on actual myths, one query that crops up time and time again is "what if...?" Could things have been different, what would have changed if they had, or might they have always been going down this road of destiny with no chance of diverting off the path? There is a heavy weight the proceedings, a palpable foreboding that will convince you to keep these pages turning and take you over the mountain to the end.
Ultimately I will read it again, and that's a hell of a thing to think of such a long book. It's a unique book from a unique author, and I'm glad to have read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2025
Oh hi Mark,
When did you turn into a total fucking snooze? Ah, that rainy day in May, right?
When did you turn into a total fucking snooze? Ah, that rainy day in May, right?
Want to read
June 2, 2025I was lucky enough to get an advanced teaser copy of Tom’s Crossing from Mark Z. Danielewski and Pantheon Books before it hits shelves this fall.
As a huge Danielewski fan, I was eagerly anticipating jumping into the 150 or so pages featured in my teaser copy. For those unfamiliar with his previous works, it should be noted that Danielewski is notorious for experimenting with the presentation and form of literature itself, whether that be shaping the prose into a labyrinthian maze for the reader to make his or her way throughout (House of Leaves) or having dual narratives starting at either end of a novel and that loop together throughout (Only Revolutions).
Because of this prior knowledge, reading this excerpt was an interesting experience as I believe that this is Danielewski at his most accessible. While there certainly are some meta-textual elements, for the most part the narrative is structured like a normal story. Now this is not to say that the storytelling itself isn’t unique. Without giving too much away, there are plenty of interesting elements Danielewski utilizes to both showcase the setting of 80s Utah and highlight the protagonists featured.
It goes without saying that all these thoughts are from my experience reading what amounts to maybe a tenth of the overall story, so I most certainly could be wrong in my analysis. However, regardless of how the novel is structured, I can confidently say I was enthralled and invested in the narrative being presented the entire time, and I am looking forward to forward to continuing diving in to this world in October when the full novel launches.
If you’re a Danielewski fan already, then you’ll definitely love it; if you haven’t read anything by him, this (will be) a great introduction to his body of works!
As a huge Danielewski fan, I was eagerly anticipating jumping into the 150 or so pages featured in my teaser copy. For those unfamiliar with his previous works, it should be noted that Danielewski is notorious for experimenting with the presentation and form of literature itself, whether that be shaping the prose into a labyrinthian maze for the reader to make his or her way throughout (House of Leaves) or having dual narratives starting at either end of a novel and that loop together throughout (Only Revolutions).
Because of this prior knowledge, reading this excerpt was an interesting experience as I believe that this is Danielewski at his most accessible. While there certainly are some meta-textual elements, for the most part the narrative is structured like a normal story. Now this is not to say that the storytelling itself isn’t unique. Without giving too much away, there are plenty of interesting elements Danielewski utilizes to both showcase the setting of 80s Utah and highlight the protagonists featured.
It goes without saying that all these thoughts are from my experience reading what amounts to maybe a tenth of the overall story, so I most certainly could be wrong in my analysis. However, regardless of how the novel is structured, I can confidently say I was enthralled and invested in the narrative being presented the entire time, and I am looking forward to forward to continuing diving in to this world in October when the full novel launches.
If you’re a Danielewski fan already, then you’ll definitely love it; if you haven’t read anything by him, this (will be) a great introduction to his body of works!
June 27, 2025
Mark Danielewski envies you. He envies me. Think about it. He will NEVER get the opportunity to read Tom’s Crossing, this century’s greatest novel to date, as a new experience, because he wrote it. He won’t encounter the heart-bruise a first read-through generates. I was in constant wonder (TC took me 29 days to read; 42.38 pages per day) and the characters’ desires and struggles infested my waking hours. MZD obviously loves great literature, and there’s nothing better than stumbling across an unknown gem. Tom’s Crossing is one of the great novels of modern literature he’ll never discover.
Westerns are about retribution, and Tom’s Crossing stays true to the genre. This book includes just about every element of the classic Western, from gunfights to poker games, but it’s so much more. After all, this is a work by Mark Danielewski.
A warning: This is an absolutely crushing, triumphant, melancholy thing he’s done. I’ll never read another book like this again, ever, and that leaves me somewhat stranded. What to read next? Tom’s Crossing has set me up for disappointment. What could ever follow such a book? The literary landscape suddenly looks so desolate.
I envy Mark Danielewski.
Westerns are about retribution, and Tom’s Crossing stays true to the genre. This book includes just about every element of the classic Western, from gunfights to poker games, but it’s so much more. After all, this is a work by Mark Danielewski.
A warning: This is an absolutely crushing, triumphant, melancholy thing he’s done. I’ll never read another book like this again, ever, and that leaves me somewhat stranded. What to read next? Tom’s Crossing has set me up for disappointment. What could ever follow such a book? The literary landscape suddenly looks so desolate.
I envy Mark Danielewski.
October 18, 2025
So, this book is a struggle.
As a lucky reader who had the honor to read the ARC, let me tell you: here you can expect everything you know Danielewski for, except in a totally different way. His style is unmatched, presenting in Tom's Crossing an epic-oral tale of mythic proportions (as I'm sure it was written elsewhere too), and you'll need to trust (or distrust) what you are reading and even more what you're not reading.
One particular moment will make you question the stability of the text. Another one its twists and turns. Many others the veracity of it. Some will fer sure make you cry. Your heart will race, as I know mine did, just as Kalin is racin those horses towards freedom. Towards Tom's Crossin. So, let's face the struggle, in a few different points.
1 - This is a very big book in size, 1,232 pages long, and unlike House of Leaves, T50YS or sections of The Familiar, its vast majority is filled with written words. Any book of this size will be a massive undertaking. You'll have your doubts, your hopes, your life, your dead (!), ... many thoughts to face while reading this, and what I can attest to is, once you reach Tom's Crossin and set that free, you can be free too (as a certain someone might like to say). Where TC differs though, is its intricate structure and presentation.
2 - So, the text is this "epic-oral tale" told by a very particular voice. As is expected from Danielewski, you will never be alone with any one voice for a long time. The crimes that shook Orvop, the students and teachers of Orvop High, the many residents, the Porches, Kalin, Tom, and many others that you wouldn't believe me if I were to tell you, you'll hear from them all. Indirectly though, mostly. Like I'm sure many are familiar with the academic footnotes on House of Leaves, this book too thrives on that, interweavin in its seemingly straight tale the perspective of so many others, but in a singular voice. That is another struggle.
3 - Myth is in this book, and interpret this cryptic sentence as you will, Danielewski (as allways) shows he knows what came before and the utmost respect for it. Fer starters, you should expect The Illiad. There's movies too, from 1982 of course, maybe you can guess which ones? And more.
4 - If you are the type of person that can't stand when books do different things in different styles, well, first, why do you read then? But I digress. This book will present that struggle to you too, and ask you to familiarize yourself with it while it takes you for the ride.
5 - Maybe it's because I'm from a tropical country and have never seen an icy mountain, maybe it's because I've never been good at "seeing" things in books, but as much as this was never really important for me, I'd like to take a little space in this review to say that visualizing the many paths inbetween mountains and canyons, the turns and switchbacks, was a real struggle! But I can assure you, as soon as you see the painting someone made of it, or the sculpture made years later showing the exact path, you'll see where the beauty of The Crossin is. That is another way that the different voices make this book jump in front of your eyes.
6 - Mark's ambiguity, or to better say his plurality, or to better say it maybe how you can see it but not quite put your finger on it, is all over this book much like all his other works. There is A LOT to interpret here. Like, a LOT. It's been around two months since I finished and while the amount of people to talk about is not big (yet), there's so much room here.
7 - And, to end, there's the struggle of the dead too. My dead is in this book, actually, like, literally. Maybe you'll read her name. That added a stake to this journey I wasn't sure was possible. If every life is a journey to the center of the labyrinth, like a certain footnote in House of Leaves once told us, Tom's Crossin is the final gate to that.
House of Leaves was a massive personal journey to me, and it completely changed how I interacted with the word. The Familiar stays as my favorite work to I have ever read in spite of all the things I've read since. And while I'll refrain from talking about all the other wonderful works of Mark Z. Danielewski, what I can say to end this review of Tom's Crossing is that I've been there. I've actually been to that place. I've seen them all too in what may be one of the most original and interesting ideas in the art chapter. Even saw a familiar face. It remains being about the source of the story, about the orphans, but I was surprised to see it was in some way about me too.
If you're just starting this journey, or in the middle of it, the best advice I can give you is to see what is not there. Read what has not been written. Those who struggled want a word, so let's listen to them.
As a lucky reader who had the honor to read the ARC, let me tell you: here you can expect everything you know Danielewski for, except in a totally different way. His style is unmatched, presenting in Tom's Crossing an epic-oral tale of mythic proportions (as I'm sure it was written elsewhere too), and you'll need to trust (or distrust) what you are reading and even more what you're not reading.
One particular moment will make you question the stability of the text. Another one its twists and turns. Many others the veracity of it. Some will fer sure make you cry. Your heart will race, as I know mine did, just as Kalin is racin those horses towards freedom. Towards Tom's Crossin. So, let's face the struggle, in a few different points.
1 - This is a very big book in size, 1,232 pages long, and unlike House of Leaves, T50YS or sections of The Familiar, its vast majority is filled with written words. Any book of this size will be a massive undertaking. You'll have your doubts, your hopes, your life, your dead (!), ... many thoughts to face while reading this, and what I can attest to is, once you reach Tom's Crossin and set that free, you can be free too (as a certain someone might like to say). Where TC differs though, is its intricate structure and presentation.
2 - So, the text is this "epic-oral tale" told by a very particular voice. As is expected from Danielewski, you will never be alone with any one voice for a long time. The crimes that shook Orvop, the students and teachers of Orvop High, the many residents, the Porches, Kalin, Tom, and many others that you wouldn't believe me if I were to tell you, you'll hear from them all. Indirectly though, mostly. Like I'm sure many are familiar with the academic footnotes on House of Leaves, this book too thrives on that, interweavin in its seemingly straight tale the perspective of so many others, but in a singular voice. That is another struggle.
3 - Myth is in this book, and interpret this cryptic sentence as you will, Danielewski (as allways) shows he knows what came before and the utmost respect for it. Fer starters, you should expect The Illiad. There's movies too, from 1982 of course, maybe you can guess which ones? And more.
4 - If you are the type of person that can't stand when books do different things in different styles, well, first, why do you read then? But I digress. This book will present that struggle to you too, and ask you to familiarize yourself with it while it takes you for the ride.
5 - Maybe it's because I'm from a tropical country and have never seen an icy mountain, maybe it's because I've never been good at "seeing" things in books, but as much as this was never really important for me, I'd like to take a little space in this review to say that visualizing the many paths inbetween mountains and canyons, the turns and switchbacks, was a real struggle! But I can assure you, as soon as you see the painting someone made of it, or the sculpture made years later showing the exact path, you'll see where the beauty of The Crossin is. That is another way that the different voices make this book jump in front of your eyes.
6 - Mark's ambiguity, or to better say his plurality, or to better say it maybe how you can see it but not quite put your finger on it, is all over this book much like all his other works. There is A LOT to interpret here. Like, a LOT. It's been around two months since I finished and while the amount of people to talk about is not big (yet), there's so much room here.
7 - And, to end, there's the struggle of the dead too. My dead is in this book, actually, like, literally. Maybe you'll read her name. That added a stake to this journey I wasn't sure was possible. If every life is a journey to the center of the labyrinth, like a certain footnote in House of Leaves once told us, Tom's Crossin is the final gate to that.
House of Leaves was a massive personal journey to me, and it completely changed how I interacted with the word. The Familiar stays as my favorite work to I have ever read in spite of all the things I've read since. And while I'll refrain from talking about all the other wonderful works of Mark Z. Danielewski, what I can say to end this review of Tom's Crossing is that I've been there. I've actually been to that place. I've seen them all too in what may be one of the most original and interesting ideas in the art chapter. Even saw a familiar face. It remains being about the source of the story, about the orphans, but I was surprised to see it was in some way about me too.
If you're just starting this journey, or in the middle of it, the best advice I can give you is to see what is not there. Read what has not been written. Those who struggled want a word, so let's listen to them.
November 9, 2025
My review of Mark Z. Danielewski's TOM'S CROSSING will be a bit longer than most of my fairly short accounts, not only because the novel is over 1200 pages, but also, I imagine it's the best novel I've read in a decade, maybe one of the best ever written.
Now that's a huge claim, I know. I had no idea how much I was going to like TOM'S CROSSING. Sure, I loved Danieleweski's HOUSE OF LEAVES, but that was a postmodern horror novel, intellectual to be sure, but also just intriguing for 100 reasons. I'm not necessarily a fan of Westerns, and when I heard that TOM'S CROSSING was bloated, a more or less straight narrative, and dense, I wasn't sure. I just finished an 1100 page novel, and another, 900 pages, so I went into TC with trepidation.
But the sheer beauty of the prose won me over, as did the complexity of the characters, who, while fitting in with a Western trope, still become mythic in their quest and the evil of many of the antagonists. Let me assure you, TOM'S CROSSING is not bloated. It earns every word of it's over 1200 pages, not only with a story that is more than memorable, but also the mythic quality of the humor, with comments about the story from literally hundreds analyzing it long after the fact. Danielewski knows how to spin a yarn, which is not evident from his one masterpiece, HOUSE OF LEAVES, and especially not from his other dense, inexplicably confusing novels.
This one captures the imagination, but more than that, it posits a philosophy of living by which we should all embrace without being didactic. He loves his characters, even the flawed and evil Old Porch, but not as much as he loves the ghosts that populate the journey, nor the horses that the journey serves. The novel has a great heart, and even a greater sense of humor, and although it certainly is dense, the narrative holds you by the reins and never lets go.
I love this story of an heroic and impossible journey, and I love the manner in which Danielewski captures his readers' imaginations. Sure, it's a long read, but worth every word. Honestly--and I read well near 175 novels year--this is a classic, a novel that should be studied, and one I will never forget. I know. I know. It's over 1200 pages. But for god's sake, READ IT. If I could give it ten stars, I would.
Now that's a huge claim, I know. I had no idea how much I was going to like TOM'S CROSSING. Sure, I loved Danieleweski's HOUSE OF LEAVES, but that was a postmodern horror novel, intellectual to be sure, but also just intriguing for 100 reasons. I'm not necessarily a fan of Westerns, and when I heard that TOM'S CROSSING was bloated, a more or less straight narrative, and dense, I wasn't sure. I just finished an 1100 page novel, and another, 900 pages, so I went into TC with trepidation.
But the sheer beauty of the prose won me over, as did the complexity of the characters, who, while fitting in with a Western trope, still become mythic in their quest and the evil of many of the antagonists. Let me assure you, TOM'S CROSSING is not bloated. It earns every word of it's over 1200 pages, not only with a story that is more than memorable, but also the mythic quality of the humor, with comments about the story from literally hundreds analyzing it long after the fact. Danielewski knows how to spin a yarn, which is not evident from his one masterpiece, HOUSE OF LEAVES, and especially not from his other dense, inexplicably confusing novels.
This one captures the imagination, but more than that, it posits a philosophy of living by which we should all embrace without being didactic. He loves his characters, even the flawed and evil Old Porch, but not as much as he loves the ghosts that populate the journey, nor the horses that the journey serves. The novel has a great heart, and even a greater sense of humor, and although it certainly is dense, the narrative holds you by the reins and never lets go.
I love this story of an heroic and impossible journey, and I love the manner in which Danielewski captures his readers' imaginations. Sure, it's a long read, but worth every word. Honestly--and I read well near 175 novels year--this is a classic, a novel that should be studied, and one I will never forget. I know. I know. It's over 1200 pages. But for god's sake, READ IT. If I could give it ten stars, I would.
November 15, 2025
A western that deserves its place beside Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy. Brimming with personality, epic in scope, and with the touch of darkness that only Danielewski can do.
An odyssey into Americana and what lies beyond what we could hope to understand.
An odyssey into Americana and what lies beyond what we could hope to understand.
November 14, 2025
I've got a small selection of books that I think of as my life before/during/after reading them.
This one is at the summit of them.
Absolutely incredible!
This one is at the summit of them.
Absolutely incredible!
October 7, 2025
Tom's Crossing is not House of Leaves revisited. I have to admit, as a super fan of HoL, I had all sorts of expectations. And the book was nothing like I expected it to be, it was so much more.
There are some fun Easter eggs for Danielewski fans, though, and it would serve you well to dust off your ancient Greek literature and maps of Utah...
Tom's Crossing is an emotional roller-coaster with epic challenges, evil villains, and a story that ends up transcending time (and space?). If you're a fan of Danielewski's style of writing- you're going to love this book. If you had a hard time with some of his books in the past- this one IS for you.
There are some fun Easter eggs for Danielewski fans, though, and it would serve you well to dust off your ancient Greek literature and maps of Utah...
Tom's Crossing is an emotional roller-coaster with epic challenges, evil villains, and a story that ends up transcending time (and space?). If you're a fan of Danielewski's style of writing- you're going to love this book. If you had a hard time with some of his books in the past- this one IS for you.
September 21, 2025
DNF - The writing style, the digressions, the pace just didn't work for me. The author has some incredibly devoted fans but after trying to get through this, and slogging through House of Leaves I'm not one.
eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
Read
November 9, 202510 out of 5 stars. I am stunned by the one. Truly one of the best books I have ever read. I laughed out loud and wept profusely. The prose is extraordinary!
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At over 1200 pages, it still was too short. The tale is momentous on the scale of McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove chronicles, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Cormac McCarthy’s Border trilogy.
Thank you for this unforgettable experience MZD!
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At over 1200 pages, it still was too short. The tale is momentous on the scale of McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove chronicles, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Cormac McCarthy’s Border trilogy.
Thank you for this unforgettable experience MZD!
July 26, 2025
Simply stunning. This epic journey has it all, moments that’ll warm your heart, some that’ll make you want to shout in celebration and still more that will make you shed a tear. There’s tension, mystery, a supernatural element and an almost never ending supply of beautiful words strung together. I LOVED this story and everything about it.
September 30, 2025
I've been stewing over how to write this review for months, but nothing I think of feels like it will better convey how emphatically I recommend this book more than this:
I cannot wait to read this book again when it officially comes out.
I cannot wait to read this book again when it officially comes out.
November 12, 2025
I work in books and was lucky enough to receive a copy of the highly anticipated Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski. Now, I had never heard of this author before (in all honesty), but I love a good Western, so of course I had to get my hands on a copy!
What I did not realize was that this book is quite long. At over 1,200 pages, I shoved my TBR stack aside for this goliath of a novel.
Many of my non-bookish friends (my bookish ones get it) asked me two questions: Why would you willingly read a novel of that size when you could polish off five books in the same length of time? And how could you read a novel of that size?
The answer: I was in it for the long ride. Those horses in Paddock B ain’t gonna save themselves.
Now, let’s stop horsing around and get into this review, shall we? I promise I’ll keep it brief-ish.
Two Worried Mothers:
Imagine the small town of Orvop, Utah. You’re a mother seated next to another mother on the porch of an old farmhouse as the aroma of cherry–rhubarb pie fresh out of the oven greets your senses. If only this were a pleasant, peaceful moment between two friends—but unfortunately, somewhere out yonder, your son and your friend’s daughter are out in Isatch Canyon fighting for their mission, their dignity, and their lives. How did they get there? What are they doing? Well, I’ll tell you this much, reader: “No one talks to the dead for free.”
A Ghost Cowboy’s Good Heart:
Let’s start with the source of the situation: Tom Gatestone was a well-loved cowboy whose life was taken too soon. “Wild inhabited him, and endless laughter was the result, because he was forever. For a moment at least” (19). Tom’s best friend, Kalin March—another young stud—was left with sadness in his soul and a whisper in his noggin: “You take ‘em to the Crossin, and you set our friends free” (38).
By friends, Tom meant horses—horses that were to be sent for slaughter unless Kalin could break them out of the infamous Paddock B and guide them to the Crossing. Why is this Tom’s dying wish? You’ll find out soon enough.
The Bloodthirsty Patriarch of the Porch Family:
Navidad and Mouse, the horses in Paddock B, are owned by the Porch family, rivals of the Gatestones whose history goes way back. Every single one of ’em is a nasty, slimy, deceitful, and in some cases even murderous individual, with nothing but hate inside their hearts and holsters. When Kalin gets mixed up in the murder of one of the Porches, his and Tom’s sister Landry Gatestone’s journey to the Crossing gets a heck of a lot more difficult.
The Crossing:
For Kalin, Landry, and their horses, there’s no way to go but up. Collapsing screes and tumbling rocks make this paranormal trek—led by a ghost cowboy—borderline impossible. Between being hunted down by the Porches, having to travel through an abandoned mine haunted by malevolent spirits, and law enforcement (and God knows what else) waiting for them on the other side, the best way to describe this book is if Homer and McMurtry teamed up to create a Western Odyssey.
My Thoughts:
Tom’s Crossing was my first introduction to author Mark Z. Danielewski, as I have not yet read House of Leaves, and—my, my—I was blown away! As an avid Western watcher, reader, and overall appreciator, this 1,200-page epic took me on a ride. For me, Tom’s Crossing was a truly immersive experience. Danielewski’s talent for world-building and creating lovable (and hateable) characters is unmatched. I enjoyed the little nuances and cultural references of the 80’s time period, and I truly felt like I was living the story.
Now that I’ve finished this glorious western, all that’s left for me to do is to go saddle-up a horse and befriend a ghost cowboy! Who’s with me?
What I did not realize was that this book is quite long. At over 1,200 pages, I shoved my TBR stack aside for this goliath of a novel.
Many of my non-bookish friends (my bookish ones get it) asked me two questions: Why would you willingly read a novel of that size when you could polish off five books in the same length of time? And how could you read a novel of that size?
The answer: I was in it for the long ride. Those horses in Paddock B ain’t gonna save themselves.
Now, let’s stop horsing around and get into this review, shall we? I promise I’ll keep it brief-ish.
Two Worried Mothers:
Imagine the small town of Orvop, Utah. You’re a mother seated next to another mother on the porch of an old farmhouse as the aroma of cherry–rhubarb pie fresh out of the oven greets your senses. If only this were a pleasant, peaceful moment between two friends—but unfortunately, somewhere out yonder, your son and your friend’s daughter are out in Isatch Canyon fighting for their mission, their dignity, and their lives. How did they get there? What are they doing? Well, I’ll tell you this much, reader: “No one talks to the dead for free.”
A Ghost Cowboy’s Good Heart:
Let’s start with the source of the situation: Tom Gatestone was a well-loved cowboy whose life was taken too soon. “Wild inhabited him, and endless laughter was the result, because he was forever. For a moment at least” (19). Tom’s best friend, Kalin March—another young stud—was left with sadness in his soul and a whisper in his noggin: “You take ‘em to the Crossin, and you set our friends free” (38).
By friends, Tom meant horses—horses that were to be sent for slaughter unless Kalin could break them out of the infamous Paddock B and guide them to the Crossing. Why is this Tom’s dying wish? You’ll find out soon enough.
The Bloodthirsty Patriarch of the Porch Family:
Navidad and Mouse, the horses in Paddock B, are owned by the Porch family, rivals of the Gatestones whose history goes way back. Every single one of ’em is a nasty, slimy, deceitful, and in some cases even murderous individual, with nothing but hate inside their hearts and holsters. When Kalin gets mixed up in the murder of one of the Porches, his and Tom’s sister Landry Gatestone’s journey to the Crossing gets a heck of a lot more difficult.
The Crossing:
For Kalin, Landry, and their horses, there’s no way to go but up. Collapsing screes and tumbling rocks make this paranormal trek—led by a ghost cowboy—borderline impossible. Between being hunted down by the Porches, having to travel through an abandoned mine haunted by malevolent spirits, and law enforcement (and God knows what else) waiting for them on the other side, the best way to describe this book is if Homer and McMurtry teamed up to create a Western Odyssey.
My Thoughts:
Tom’s Crossing was my first introduction to author Mark Z. Danielewski, as I have not yet read House of Leaves, and—my, my—I was blown away! As an avid Western watcher, reader, and overall appreciator, this 1,200-page epic took me on a ride. For me, Tom’s Crossing was a truly immersive experience. Danielewski’s talent for world-building and creating lovable (and hateable) characters is unmatched. I enjoyed the little nuances and cultural references of the 80’s time period, and I truly felt like I was living the story.
Now that I’ve finished this glorious western, all that’s left for me to do is to go saddle-up a horse and befriend a ghost cowboy! Who’s with me?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews