Author: Markus Zusak
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Markus Zusak took the literary world by storm and conquered readers’ hearts over 10 years ago when his moving tale of a young girl living during WWII, The Book Thief, was published in 2005. Here was a new and exciting voice. Years later he is back with another bittersweet tale that will undoubtedly pull at your heart strings.
The Dunbar boys were doing just fine by themselves, despite their mother dying and their father abandoning them shortly after that. That was until their father shows up on their doorstep saying he is building a bridge and needs helpers. With the memory of their abandonment fresh in their minds, four of the brothers quickly turn away. Clay isn’t so sure about what to do!
Bridge of Clay follows two different timelines. In one, Zusak delicately lays out the Dunbar’s family history – from when their mother lived in a USSR occupied territory, to when she meets their father, they start a family and she falls ill. In the other, events go into motion when their father turns up on their doorstep.
At the heart of this story is Clay, a quiet but sensitive boy dealing with his loss and struggling with feelings of guilt – a boy looking for redemption and searching for his place in the world. In the Dunbar boys Zusak has created vivid characters who are tough as nails and yet heavily marked by tragedy.
Bridge of Clay was without a shadow of a doubt one of the stand-out novels of 2018, marking the return of Markus Zusak to his old antics. Much like The Book Thief, it might quite possibly have you in tears.
It is a heartwrenching family tale of tragedy and survival. Its pace and language contribute to the multilayered story. Its cast of characters and the bonds of tragedy that binds them are what make it a true accomplishment for author Markus Zusak who has brought us yet again a ruggedly tender tale about the human condition.
> Naomi Round
