The Crossing bridges the past and the present andconnects Wales with America, as it tells of coal ownersand coal workers in the age of great transatlantic linersand fortunes to be made. At its heart is a father’s search for his daughter inWelsh valleys no longer proud, where creaming offregeneration grants has replaced coal mining as away of life and development parks now stand whereonce did pit head wheels. It follows a lifetime’s searchfor lost love, the sinking of a great ship in a great war,misplaced family and forlorn hopes where individuallives are shaped and fated in the shadow of modernityand the cold hand of progress. This brave, bold and challenging work conjures a vividcast of characters into being and offering – with readyvim and ample vigour – their compelling, complex andultimately telling story.