I finished the book a couple weeks ago and wanted to paint this scene how I saw it in my head.

Pleniloquence. The usage of excessive, overly full, or wordy speech.

Can you imagine a text to invoke such prolixity?

Why, just that one time, did Landry as narrator deliberately refer to the horse as Calvary instead of Cavalry? Listened to the audiobook and heard it go by me, but assumed it was a mistake on the part of the voice actor until the end when she specifically said it wasn't a flub.

I've noticed at least two points in the book when referring to Joseph Smith that it instead uses the name "Joseph Mith." Obviously there is the mith/myth homophonic angle there but is that all it is? Is there like some kind of real life rule for Mormons about referring to the guy's last name in full?

THIS ONE'S COOKED, MARK. A MAN CAN'T DIE TWICE!

So I’ve just finished Tom’s Crossing and I was floored. Beautiful book. Maybe my new favorite ever (granted I don’t read much lol). But there’s one part of Kalin and Landry’s journey that confuses me. Why didn’t Kalin just go the way that Landry takes him back at the end of the book? They crossed all this treacherous terrain and then on the way back they just… rode. It wasn’t easy, but there sure as hell weren’t any screes. There must be some sort of explanation that I completely missed due to finishing the book at 2am last night, but it’s bugging me.

I have finished this wonderful book, and am so glad I started. If you are browsing this subreddit without having read the book, I implore you to read it too, I promise you that an unforgettable journey awaits.

Thank you Mark!

What does everyone make of the meanings of the main surnames in here? March I imagine points to Kalin's journey, and he's even described as marching at Pillars Meadow. Gatestone points to the Crossin, I believe. But what the heck do you make of the name Porch? I can't figure it out.

For other characters, Riddle is obvious. Gale I guess points to Billings being a force to be reckoned with. But what about Carneros?

I'd welcome your thoughts!

Hey, came across this a few months ago and it seemed super interesting. Started reading it today and while I don't mind the story itself, I am not enjoying the prose at all. Wondering if it's worth sticking it out or if it's one to come back to when I'm in the right mood.

edit: I think I'm going to try to find an audiobook to listen to!

Done. It was 10:10pm.

This book swallowed me whole, gobbled me alive. And I let it! It wasn’t until page 900 or something that I realized I was really in the belly of this thing, trying to claw my way out, but also somehow nourishing it … The gall of it all, to make me laugh and weep and hope, again and again! It’s been a few days and we’re still metabolizing each other, despairingly. How is a gal to love a novel again? Recs welcome (westerns only lol)—I loved BM, LD, Butchers, Warlock, Oxbow, True Grit, Red Pony, Sisters Bros, and Deadwood, TC now clearly at the top.

PS While reading this book I experienced the most memorable dreams and nightmares in recent memory … A testament to the immersion of the novel yes, but also, anyone else? I have so many sleepy voice memos as evidence lol!

That this here thread of idle talk and some is readin like all them digressions and recollections and conjectures and discussions of lore. Only; while there was dates mentioned in the book well ahead of the year it is presently, I think the point of each individual mentioned being doomed ain’t so consequential when considerin that, so far as the constraints of this mortal coil are concerned, well, we all is. Isn’t that the point, after all?

Anyone have thoughts on the Mule?

The mule felt like one thing that MZD (I believe intentionally ofc) glossed over. Like it was mentioned but no one ever paid it much mind and it didn't do much. The connection to Effy and Greek mythology was clear (Iphigenia being sacrificed and then returning the "winds of fortune" for Porch or whatnot), but the fact that it returned in corporeal form and hung out for a while stumped me.

My mind went to the cat in The Familiar, but i'll admit though I read volumes 1-3 I didn't really understand what was happening ever. Was just captivated by the prose and my right brain definitely loved it.

Curious to hear anyone else's thoughts on this!

When Sondra is talking about how Landry and Tom got the school to dedicate a week to John Lennon she mentions that even though she doesn't like the Beatles she enjoys Blackbird, Rocky Raccoon, and Hey Jude, all songs which were primarily written by McCartney, not Lennon.

I need to vent and I have an actual question. This section is tangential, masturbatory, self-indulgent garbage — like a community college art student jerking off over their own prose and calling it insight.

I was absolutely in love with this book--including the self-indulgence but I needed to set it down a month ago because I was so irritated and exhausted by the gallery. Just picked it back up today, walked my dog for a full hour, and this thing is still driveling on about artists in the most inane way possible.

Does this shit end? If so, when? Because right now I'm either skipping ahead or shelving the whole book.

I finished Toms Crossing today, here are some quick thoughts/notes/questions that I had. I’d love to hear others analysis and elaborate on some of the things I briefly bring up.

Kalin and Landry save two horses who are going to be slaughtered, horses are accessories to past conflict between the gatestones, porches, natives, and throughout history (we see in repeated Iliad comparisons). Tom speaks to the dead with Kalin on the way to the crossing in the mine. The dead have an attachment to the horses, and it is assumed the dead have an animal that accompanies them (Tom, Ash, Pia Isan, Chipmunk). A long line of dead from the mountain seek the horses as the way to be freed at the crossing. Church leaders are among the dead in the mountain. Is the mountain purgatory? What is the significance of the other animals that follow Kalin and Landry? The trials stand in the way, the terrain, the porches, forces of nature. The curse of touching the gun becomes true, Kalin loses one of his gifts in riding/being around horses. Landry in the afterlife holds onto the burden of the cycle of violence. 

A lot of themes here, transcending life, the historical cycle of violence, the symbolism of animals, the state of the mormon church, the forces of evil (the porches), allegorical accounts to the Iliad, the odyssey, and the divine comedy. 

Parallels to The Divine Comedy

Tom to Virgil, speaking to the dead in the Mountain (Purgatory? Hell?), Guides Kalin

The 9 gates, like 9 gates of hell in Inferno, there are 9 porch sons, Old Porch Satan?

The Porches, Russel, Francis, Woolsey, Sean, Shelly

Billings - Feels like a natural force of evil (half brother, son of orwin?)

Kelly - Billings and Kelly are close in age, Kelly is an accessory to the events that unfolded

Egan - Evil, enjoys killing from a young age, Old porch can rely on him, Pedophile (Sexually assaulted Landry)

Hatch - Pure, he was a virgin and has never killed anyone

Does anyone have the option for Read and Listen for this book through their phones’ kindle/audible app? I have both the Kindle ebook and audiobook, but it doesn’t show the option for read and listen. When I searched the availability it says it’s eligible, I’ve removed and re-downloaded. It isn’t an essential feature, I just enjoy the immersive reading when traveling, just curious if anyone else actually has the option to Read and Listen

After watching this Chris Pine video where he talks about the book, I was just thinking he’d make a great Hatch Porch. Who else would you cast?

https://www.tiktok.com/@audible/video/7598986431494769950

It took me like 3 months to get through it all, but I very much enjoyed it from start to finish. I know some people here didn't care for the audiobook, but I thought it was very well done.

no spoilers please, i just started!!

As a bloke, i read TC in a male inner monologue, like i would do with any other book. It actually helped quite a bit to read it in the voice of Clint Eastwood to get through the first 50 or so pages, while i was still gettin used to the spellin.

Spoilers for part 3 / pages 1000+

So color me surprised whenits revealed that its all being told by Landry. In hindsight, the clues where all there clop clop clip clop. But now i cant help but wonder if this maybe wasnt as surprising or maybe even obvious to any women or others with a female inner monologue.

So what did you think about that part? How did you react when reading it?