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Crossings is a self-explanatory title by design. It came to me early and I could never come up with anything better. It refers directly to the novel’s central conceit of characters who can ‘cross’ from one body into another, and in that sense I like its simplicity and humility. But it can also be applied much more widely. It alludes to the novel’s unusual structure (it can be read conventionally as three separate stories or following an alternative sequence where the stories are interwoven into one whole). It’s also an invitation to the reader to consider crossing as a metaphor for such other things as history, love and literature.
What's in a name?
The backstory to Crossings takes place on a remote island, whose inhabitants can all cross from one body into another. Appropriation, especially of the colonial variety, is a major theme in the novel. Although there is much true history woven into the fictional story, after careful consideration of the ethics of the matter I decided to invent an island rather than set it on a real-life island. The island I invented I placed between Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands and called it Oaeetee as a nod to...[read on]
--Marshal Zeringue
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