Bridge of Clay

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Though the building of a physical bridge is an essential plot point, the real story is much more about the building of metaphorical bridges between family, friends, and generations. I always tell people that going into his book, don't expect them to be anything alike (except for extraordinary writing) because they are all so individual and different from each other, it's actually kind of amazing. it doesn't help that the book is incredibly long; by the time i reached the end, i didn't give a care about the bridge or why it was being built or what it meant in a metaphorical sense. Edwards Award from the American Library Association, granted to authors who make significant, lasting contributions to young adult literature.

His decision to tell the story through Matthew’s words – perhaps the most hardened of the brothers – really serves to extend the understated elegance of Zusak’s literary style.Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the preview copy, and special thanks to Markus Zusak for bringing the Dunbar boys to life. The depth of grief and loss is so palpable you can all but feel the blood, sweat, and tears that went into crafting the story.

All in all, Bridge Of Clay is a wonderful, riveting book, and I have no hesitation in recommending it. Difficult to locate both in terms of time period and geography, the setting for the story seems to be Zusak’s homeland of Australia, though very little information is given away, which can be frustrating for a reader who wants to fully imagine a visual world for the characters. In the past, Penelope survives long past the six-month prognosis given to her by the doctors, but her condition worsens over time. The books are mentioned often and have great significance in the parents’ lives and that of the Dunbar boys.

Clay engages in violent races, where others try to knock him down, keep him from crossing finish line. When his father goes to the mines to work, he goes to the city, spending his Saturday nights with Carey.

Zusak doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but he makes his ostensibly gloomy subject bearable the same way Kurt Vonnegut did in Slaughterhouse-Five:with grim, darkly consoling humor. I gotta wrap this up because I'm getting angrier the more I think about what a waste of tree pulp this book is. Although I certainly recognise – and hope for – this novel’s ability to engage diverse audiences, I am concerned that the relatively slow burn, as well as the work required of the readers, will make this an unattractive prospect for most teenagers. The writing is beautiful in spots, and Zusak fans will find much of the flowery (and sometimes ponderous) prose they love him for. Although Bridge of Clay has flaws – an inevitability with a work that has taken so long to come to fruition – they feel incidental to a work that is so replete with vulnerability.

While it does perhaps suffer from one too many narrative threads, it offers one of the most fully-realised and authentic depictions of familial love and shared tragedy that I’ve yet to encounter. Michael carries Penelope outside, intending to put her in the family car while it is running in the garage, but cannot complete the act. And this is also the scary thing—I'm a different person to the one who started Bridge of Clay eight, nine years ago . Bridge of Clay, in other words, requires a patience and concentration perhaps at odds with its easy narrative voice. A family of ramshackle tragedy - their mother is dead, their father has fled - they love and fight, and learn to reckon with the adult world.