A review by wormsinmysalad
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

5.0

I finished this book over a week ago, but couldn't write the review then. You know how you enjoy a story so much that you need some time to think about it and fully process it before you try to describe the experience? That was "Bridge of Clay" for me.

It's a family story that gets it right on many levels: how multiple siblings can be identified as connected to one another but still retain enough of their own individuality to stand out, how a couple can love one another with sincerity and express that in ways that may not be understood by others, and how sometimes the only way to love is to let go.

My favorite characters in this story are the women, even though their role is pretty much only to explain the men. But they give the men such depth and complexity that you realize how their influence is shaping them and making them the people they were meant to be.

The story is inspired, emotional, genuine, and poetic. I had thoroughly enjoyed Zusak's "The Book Thief" and was prepared to be let down by this novel. I figured this book wouldn't live up to the first. I'm happy to report I was wrong.