In Markus Zusak’s first release since the publication of his number one New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, he weaves a modern epic of great love, wrenching loss and the sustaining power of familial bonds.
The world of the five Dunbar boys is one of love and blasphemy, fists and forgiveness. It is a world marked by tragedy—first by the untimely death of their mother and then by their father’s abrupt abandonment. Each of the boys deals with grief in their own way, but Clay, the fourth boy, holds a secret. And when their father suddenly reappears with a strange request, it is Clay who answers his plea. But in doing so, he must face the wrath and confusion of his brothers and ultimately help them piece together the full truth of their family legacy.
With fully developed characters and intricate depictions of both adolescence and adulthood, this book straddles the line between young adult and adult fiction. Either way, Bridge of Clay is Zusak at his best. To read a novel by this masterful author is to embark on an immersive journey that challenges readers to expand their understanding of what it is to be human. In this tale, Zusak explores how the intricate tapestries of our lives are woven not just by the decisions we make but also by those of the people closest to us, creating an interconnectedness from which no one, for better or worse, can ever completely extract themselves.
This article was originally published in the October 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
