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Crossing Over
Crossing Over tells the story of an American family trying to survive the beginnings of the second civil war. The existence of two simultaneous presidents has split the country along ideological lines. The protests are becoming violent, sections of the country have formed their own militias, along with the militias of the two warring parties. In the midst of shortages of food and other necessities, gangs and thugs are terrorizing formerly safe neighborhoods. Realizing that it is no longer safe to remain in their home, Mike McNerney decides to pack the camper and flee to Canada with his wife, Marie, and disabled teenage daughter, Elly. Unfortunately, everyone else has the same idea.
The book tells of regular Americans, who not long before led totally normal lives, and who are quickly turned into refugees as they try to escape the crime and violence taking over the country; horror happening at the Canadian border; the deterioration of Mike and Marie’s relationship as it crumbled under the stress of their ordeal. Complicating matters is the need to protect their beautiful daughter Elly, who is naïve enough to wander off with any stranger.
The book tells of regular Americans, who not long before led totally normal lives, and who are quickly turned into refugees as they try to escape the crime and violence taking over the country; horror happening at the Canadian border; the deterioration of Mike and Marie’s relationship as it crumbled under the stress of their ordeal. Complicating matters is the need to protect their beautiful daughter Elly, who is naïve enough to wander off with any stranger.
172 pages, Paperback
Published December 28, 2018
106 people are currently reading
1396 people want to read
About the author
Paul Clayton
13 books76 followersPaul Clayton is the author of a three-book historical series on the Spanish Conquest of the Floridas ― Calling Crow, Flight of the Crow, and Calling Crow Nation (Putnam/Berkley), and a novel, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam (St. Martin’s Press), based on his own experiences. Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates (Faithless) and David McCullough (John Adams). Paul's historical novel, White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, was a semifinalist in the Amazon ABNA awards, a Readers Choice Bronze Medalist, an Honorable Mention at the San Francisco Book Festival, and a Finalist at the International Book Awards.
Paul writes sci-fi/fantasy as well, his latest works include: Strange Worlds, In the Shape of a Man, Van Ripplewink, Crossing Over, and Talk to a Real, Live Girl.
Paul currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his son and daughter.
Paul writes sci-fi/fantasy as well, his latest works include: Strange Worlds, In the Shape of a Man, Van Ripplewink, Crossing Over, and Talk to a Real, Live Girl.
Paul currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his son and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 30, 2020
Crossing Over was just named an Honorable Mention in the New England Book Festival. Here is a link: http://www.newenglandbookfestivals.com/
Also, I just got a nice review from US Review of Books that I must share:
book review by Mihir Shah
"I never thought I’d live to see the day when a legally-elected president of these United States would be dragged out of the... White House."
The future United States is on the verge of a second civil war, plunging its citizens into a dystopian universe where they must fend for themselves. Any semblance of government control is nonexistent. From New York to Massachusetts, several states have formed the Liberty League to support the radical Revolutionary People's Party. Meanwhile, state guards, including those of the Carolinas, Alabama, and Kentucky, have formed the Minute Men that support the incumbent president. The United States Government now has two presidents and a severely fractured country. The main character, Mike McNerney, his wife, Marie, and disabled teenage daughter, Elly, are thrust into this chaos with no failsafe. They are forced to leave the comforts and safety of their home and travel toward the Canadian border in the hopes of crossing over and rediscovering a sense of normalcy. The irony that such a world in the modern political landscape is not nearly as far-fetched as it once seemed is not lost upon the reader...
Link to the rest: https://www.theusreview.com/reviews/C...
Also, I just got a nice review from US Review of Books that I must share:
book review by Mihir Shah
"I never thought I’d live to see the day when a legally-elected president of these United States would be dragged out of the... White House."
The future United States is on the verge of a second civil war, plunging its citizens into a dystopian universe where they must fend for themselves. Any semblance of government control is nonexistent. From New York to Massachusetts, several states have formed the Liberty League to support the radical Revolutionary People's Party. Meanwhile, state guards, including those of the Carolinas, Alabama, and Kentucky, have formed the Minute Men that support the incumbent president. The United States Government now has two presidents and a severely fractured country. The main character, Mike McNerney, his wife, Marie, and disabled teenage daughter, Elly, are thrust into this chaos with no failsafe. They are forced to leave the comforts and safety of their home and travel toward the Canadian border in the hopes of crossing over and rediscovering a sense of normalcy. The irony that such a world in the modern political landscape is not nearly as far-fetched as it once seemed is not lost upon the reader...
Link to the rest: https://www.theusreview.com/reviews/C...
June 7, 2019
Room for improvement
I liked the premise, but I felt it was lacking in background. Each of the scenes could have been fleshed out more. The writing wasn't bad but I found myself annoyed by the way the dialogue was written: said Mike, said Marie etc. And the misspellings drive me nuts also. Still, a second book following up on the family and the civil war wouldn't be a bad idea.
I liked the premise, but I felt it was lacking in background. Each of the scenes could have been fleshed out more. The writing wasn't bad but I found myself annoyed by the way the dialogue was written: said Mike, said Marie etc. And the misspellings drive me nuts also. Still, a second book following up on the family and the civil war wouldn't be a bad idea.
February 13, 2021
This book has a few things going for it. The most obvious is the main story conflict, will the McNerney family, Mike, Marie, and Elly, succeed in their attempt to flee to Canada? Just accept the premise of the story and go with it, and you’ve got an interesting thriller with characters I wanted to see safely make it to the other side of the border. But if you want more, let your mind wander, mulling over the premise of the story of where the US has gotten itself, how that is said to have happened and what the results were. I found myself asking and pondering lots of questions. How realistic is this? What would it take to go this far off the rails? If things were headed this direction, how would I react? Are Canadians complaining about the country south of the border with refugees invading their country? Do they complain that we aren’t sending our best people? Yeah, my mind goes in some strange directions sometimes. Hopefully we aren’t headed for anything resembling this story. But as something to get the thoughts going, as well as sharing an intense adventure vicariously with the McNerney family, it did the trick.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
January 16, 2019
I obtained this book through the Kindle Unlimited program, after receiving a request for a review.
Here's a summation: the nation has polarized over politics to the extent that commerce has been interrupted. The kind of riots that hit Charlottesville, VA, in August of 2017 now occur in every location, on a regular basis. Through some undefined mechanism, the sitting president was physically evicted from the White House, and now there are two competing governments, one sponsored by the states in the Northeast part of the country, and the other matching somewhat with states which had football teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with a few SEC areas. (This I found to be far-fetched, BUT it was a plot device needed to make the story work)
Mike McNerny, 60ish and retired, is still trying to make sense of things. Almost all of the local businesses have closed down. Many of his neighbors have fled, due to their proximity to the city of Minneapolis, where it is reported that teen thugs are roving the streets in gangs. Without another safe haven in mind, Mike must attempt to persuade his wife Marie to load up their gear and flee to Canada, where there is no civil war. (I'm not sure this sort of person has a hope of survival. Essentially, he has done NO preparation; he ESPECIALLY has done no emotional prep work with his wife).
And now we come to the greatest weakness in Mike's plan. They have a beautiful 16 year old daughter, Elly, tall for her age, who has some sort of developmental delay. She has some cognitive skills at an 11 or 12 year old level, but my read of the way she seems to understand her environment leads me to believe that her social skills are more like that of a four year old. She is a friendly sort, which means she greets strangers cheerfully; and those, only seeing her physical beauty and her stature, might innocently come to the conclusion that the young woman is fully in control. An evil doer who recognizes her cognitive impairment, might quickly arrange to isolate her from her family, and kidnap her. She can't remember to keep the door locked, and to stay inside. (As it happens, I have known a young woman very much like this. She was physically beautiful, but had no sense of a need for safety. Because she was so cute, well-meaning people at church would talk to her and say "You are SUCH a cute little girl! Why don't you come home with me and be MY little girl?" And Sarah would say "okay," and be perfectly ready to walk out the door with them.
And sometimes it just doesn't seem to Mike that Marie has a grasp on just how things are on the road. (In real life., this much fighting in a crisis situation means you will die.)
It is the presence of Elly that makes this book different form all of the other 50,000 post-apocalyptic books out there. Mike can't make plans that don't include one adult devoting at LEAST half their attention to keeping Elly from making some innocent mistake that can get them all killed. Unfortunately, even before the crisis, Mike and Marie weren't having a unified purpose; the stress of raising a daughter who learned very slowly compared to others has challenged more than one family; it uses splits them apart, or drives them much closer.
There is more to the book, but the inclusion of THAT particular reality is something I don't recall seeing anywhere else. In 2011, the CDC said that 1 out of 7 American school children had some sort of developmental disability. Most are not as severe as that faced by Elly's family, but here's the deal: If you happen to be one of those people who are looking forward to a coming revolution, consider how you will prepare for all the Ellys. Also, consider how you will brawl in the streets, and still provide care of the elderly in nursing homes. If your program for a return to a simpler nation means you plan on allowing the most needy elements of society to quietly be put aside, go ahead and tell us now. If not, show us your plan. We'd love to see it.
I found the book dismal and unrealistic. I couldn't fit Mike and Maria's continued survival to the amount of cash they had on hand. Mike had a .38 Special snub-nosed revolver, but he never once used it effectively. If you plan on using a firearm, you MUST learn how to use it and train with it. The idea that he would be carrying the pistol around in his pocket, yet never mention to Marie that he had it, was unrealistic.
However, the additional burdens that the family struggled under, due to Elly's disability, kept me reading past the point when I would normally have discarded it.
Here's a summation: the nation has polarized over politics to the extent that commerce has been interrupted. The kind of riots that hit Charlottesville, VA, in August of 2017 now occur in every location, on a regular basis. Through some undefined mechanism, the sitting president was physically evicted from the White House, and now there are two competing governments, one sponsored by the states in the Northeast part of the country, and the other matching somewhat with states which had football teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with a few SEC areas. (This I found to be far-fetched, BUT it was a plot device needed to make the story work)
Mike McNerny, 60ish and retired, is still trying to make sense of things. Almost all of the local businesses have closed down. Many of his neighbors have fled, due to their proximity to the city of Minneapolis, where it is reported that teen thugs are roving the streets in gangs. Without another safe haven in mind, Mike must attempt to persuade his wife Marie to load up their gear and flee to Canada, where there is no civil war. (I'm not sure this sort of person has a hope of survival. Essentially, he has done NO preparation; he ESPECIALLY has done no emotional prep work with his wife).
And now we come to the greatest weakness in Mike's plan. They have a beautiful 16 year old daughter, Elly, tall for her age, who has some sort of developmental delay. She has some cognitive skills at an 11 or 12 year old level, but my read of the way she seems to understand her environment leads me to believe that her social skills are more like that of a four year old. She is a friendly sort, which means she greets strangers cheerfully; and those, only seeing her physical beauty and her stature, might innocently come to the conclusion that the young woman is fully in control. An evil doer who recognizes her cognitive impairment, might quickly arrange to isolate her from her family, and kidnap her. She can't remember to keep the door locked, and to stay inside. (As it happens, I have known a young woman very much like this. She was physically beautiful, but had no sense of a need for safety. Because she was so cute, well-meaning people at church would talk to her and say "You are SUCH a cute little girl! Why don't you come home with me and be MY little girl?" And Sarah would say "okay," and be perfectly ready to walk out the door with them.
And sometimes it just doesn't seem to Mike that Marie has a grasp on just how things are on the road. (In real life., this much fighting in a crisis situation means you will die.)
It is the presence of Elly that makes this book different form all of the other 50,000 post-apocalyptic books out there. Mike can't make plans that don't include one adult devoting at LEAST half their attention to keeping Elly from making some innocent mistake that can get them all killed. Unfortunately, even before the crisis, Mike and Marie weren't having a unified purpose; the stress of raising a daughter who learned very slowly compared to others has challenged more than one family; it uses splits them apart, or drives them much closer.
There is more to the book, but the inclusion of THAT particular reality is something I don't recall seeing anywhere else. In 2011, the CDC said that 1 out of 7 American school children had some sort of developmental disability. Most are not as severe as that faced by Elly's family, but here's the deal: If you happen to be one of those people who are looking forward to a coming revolution, consider how you will prepare for all the Ellys. Also, consider how you will brawl in the streets, and still provide care of the elderly in nursing homes. If your program for a return to a simpler nation means you plan on allowing the most needy elements of society to quietly be put aside, go ahead and tell us now. If not, show us your plan. We'd love to see it.
I found the book dismal and unrealistic. I couldn't fit Mike and Maria's continued survival to the amount of cash they had on hand. Mike had a .38 Special snub-nosed revolver, but he never once used it effectively. If you plan on using a firearm, you MUST learn how to use it and train with it. The idea that he would be carrying the pistol around in his pocket, yet never mention to Marie that he had it, was unrealistic.
However, the additional burdens that the family struggled under, due to Elly's disability, kept me reading past the point when I would normally have discarded it.
March 30, 2024
One of the more depressing books that I have read since I read “The Road”. I do not mean that in a bad way, it’s really good story telling and realizing that the collapse of society is going to be really ugly. I do have some issues with it as I really do not see how the Canadians could stop an influx of Americans into their country and the breakdown of government services seems haphazard compared to what would really happen. Still a good read and one that should make you think about what is going on around us.
September 26, 2020
How much more prescient can an author possibly get? It's impressive that this was written in 2018. Just yesterday for the first time in American history a president refused to commit to leaving office in the event of an electoral loss. November is coming swiftly. If you care about freedom, if you care about science, if you care about literacy, if you care about human beings... VOTE. Otherwise, fiction becomes reality.
March 25, 2019
Good to the end and then?
Great story idea. Good characters. Too many commas but other than that, nice fast read. Except...it just ended. No epilogue, just “I feel better. The End.” I feel a bit cheated, like the author didn’t bother to come up with an ending to a very good story. Is there a book two???
Great story idea. Good characters. Too many commas but other than that, nice fast read. Except...it just ended. No epilogue, just “I feel better. The End.” I feel a bit cheated, like the author didn’t bother to come up with an ending to a very good story. Is there a book two???
January 1, 2019
I was given a free copy of "Crossing Over" in exchange for an honest review. This story grabs at your heartstrings...Mike and his family represent an average family as they attempt to flee the civil unrest within the United States as another internal war begins; they could be any of us. The author does an excellent job of depicting the hardships, sacrifice, and depression suffered by those who just want to survive and escape the madness of war and their waiting weeks on end at the border with Canada. Like in an apocalypse, bands of roving gangs and officials in high places want all that you have, and failure to comply could easily result in death - even by your own hands. The author summed it all up in just 80 pages. Mike's family dilemma is not solved by the end of the story leaving readers to surmise how it might end...the money is almost gone and they're at the end of their rope. I looked for a continuation and was disappointed in not finding one.
March 9, 2023
This novel wasn't a bad read, it actually had amazing and thrilling moments. There in lay the issue in my opinion. There's so many low moments of non-suspenseful gaps in between the thrilling action. I would've rated so much higher yet when the story sank, it sunk. And when the story peaked, it soared. But there was no evening out of the storyline and it can leave a reader high and dry. I believe this book had potential with the characters to be more intensive and extensive. If this was surely the end of the civil world in the United States, then I'd not want to read about it in this novel. The ending could've been more, just more and not so abrupt. Like I said this book had plenty of room for a potential better read.
September 27, 2025
“Crossing Over” by Paul Clayton is a third-person narrative that follows the events involving the McNerney family as they try to flee the United States while civil unrest and political chaos intensifies across the nation. The story unfolds from an “everyman” point of view. The tone and atmosphere reminded me of that made-for-television movie called “Threads” (1984), minus the nuclear holocaust.
The story isn’t that long in terms of overall page count, but there are only ten total chapters that should have been broken up to emphasize specific scenes/events and maintain a comfortable reading experience.
Read my full breakdown:
https://www.livefreeliverich.com/blog...
The story isn’t that long in terms of overall page count, but there are only ten total chapters that should have been broken up to emphasize specific scenes/events and maintain a comfortable reading experience.
Read my full breakdown:
https://www.livefreeliverich.com/blog...
December 15, 2020
What happened to the U.S.?,,, need a sequel
I have previously enjoyed Paul Clayton's White Seed : The Untold Story of the Lost Colony, so I picked this gem up. Great little story. I am a prolific reader, therefore I finished this book in a couple of evening hours. The story pulled me in immediately. The U.S. has fallen into chaos and Mike, along with his wife and daughter need to get the hell out. No spoilers here, yet I certainly think a sequel is in order here! I want to know what could happen next, Mr. Clayton. Enjoy the story.
I have previously enjoyed Paul Clayton's White Seed : The Untold Story of the Lost Colony, so I picked this gem up. Great little story. I am a prolific reader, therefore I finished this book in a couple of evening hours. The story pulled me in immediately. The U.S. has fallen into chaos and Mike, along with his wife and daughter need to get the hell out. No spoilers here, yet I certainly think a sequel is in order here! I want to know what could happen next, Mr. Clayton. Enjoy the story.
January 15, 2023
Flat writing, dim-witted characters
Sorry but I was glad it was ended when I finished it. As a class c Rv owner author got a lot of things wrong. Lack of potable water came up but was never mentioned again. Heating a rig in cold weather would burn through a propane tank in a few days. Not to mention dumping the black tank. Etc etc etc. although I did like shoving the cane through the wheels of the wheelchair……..
Sorry but I was glad it was ended when I finished it. As a class c Rv owner author got a lot of things wrong. Lack of potable water came up but was never mentioned again. Heating a rig in cold weather would burn through a propane tank in a few days. Not to mention dumping the black tank. Etc etc etc. although I did like shoving the cane through the wheels of the wheelchair……..
February 6, 2022
This was a really good book!It looks like a civil war is brewing in America and the bands of thugs are already robbing and killing. Mike decides the family needs to take the camper and go to Canada.He has no clue what a trip he is in for. Kevin Arthur Harper was a terrific narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
June 23, 2022
I received this book in a goodreads giveaway. I read this one in one sitting. The book kept my attention but I found it very frightening. The story is about political unrest and disunity so polarizing that civil war erupts in America. The current political climate is pretty bad so I found it a little to possible to make me feel comfortable.
February 10, 2023
In the near future, the divisive nature of America leads to its downfall. This book deals with how the collapse of American society impacts Mike, his wife Marie & their daughter Elly.
First, Elly is mentally disabled. I wish the author hadn't used the word "retardation". It's simply not a diagnosis currently used & is considered a slur.
Second, for all the potential this story had it was lackluster. The potential for a great story was right there.
First, Elly is mentally disabled. I wish the author hadn't used the word "retardation". It's simply not a diagnosis currently used & is considered a slur.
Second, for all the potential this story had it was lackluster. The potential for a great story was right there.
February 26, 2023
Strange Story
The book is short and has much slower to read. It is a description of time in the future where the government has gone bad. Most of the time is waiting to try to get to Canada. The is action is losing things and money. A young woman named as Ella is not entirely smart, but she is the good part of the story.
The book is short and has much slower to read. It is a description of time in the future where the government has gone bad. Most of the time is waiting to try to get to Canada. The is action is losing things and money. A young woman named as Ella is not entirely smart, but she is the good part of the story.
August 21, 2025
This was a great story about trying to survive in a world gone crazy from war. Well a United States to be more exact. We are definitely close to something like this happening. I love my post apocalyptic and SHTF books but with our current political climate things like this hit close to home.
Narrations was amazing.
Narrations was amazing.
February 26, 2023
Interesting dystopian story
The United States of America is now a violent dystopian country with gangs , lack of supplies and scary beyond belief . People are trying to flee to Canada . An interesting story.
The United States of America is now a violent dystopian country with gangs , lack of supplies and scary beyond belief . People are trying to flee to Canada . An interesting story.
November 1, 2021
My review of Crossing Over is on my blog.
https://quirkybookreads.wordpress.com...
https://quirkybookreads.wordpress.com...
August 15, 2023
Very short book. I honestly thought that this is a draft that needs to be fleshed out. Great premise lousy execution.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews