The Friday 56: 'Tom's Crossing' by Mark Z. Danielewski

Hello, my fellow Friday 56ers! It feels good to be back after taking a little hiatus last week. Life threw me a curveball with my mother’s surgery on the 12th, but I'm happy to report that she’s back home and on the mend. Taking care of her and juggling other responsibilities kept me busy—I'll spill the full details in my upcoming Sunday Post, so stay tuned for that.

For those who might not know, 'The Friday 56' is a bookish meme hosted by My Head is Full of Books, where we share snippets from our current or future reads to indulge our fellow book lovers. This week, I’m featuring the sprawling pages of Tom's Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski—a hefty neo-western that tips the scale at around 1,229 pages.

Yep, it's a behemoth! I’m gearing up to tackle this literary mountain over the next few days, with an eye towards posting my review on November 29th for a special Gunsmoke & Grit feature. Wish me luck; I have a feeling I’m going to need it!

Now, to pique your interest, here’s a little morsel from the book:

Nothin these two beautiful creatures could offer, with their hard hooves and outrageous hearts, even includin whatever talents Kalin might supply, would stand a chance against the mechanistic might that with just a few coughs of oily smoke would easily overtake anythin on the Heathen-Slade Canyon Trail or, for that matter, the Katanogos Aspen Roundup Route that led higher up into and around the lower ridges.

— Danielewski, Mark Z. Tom's Crossing, Pantheon, 2025, p. 56.

〜B.J. Burgess