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Bridge of Clay - Reviews Without Spoilers

Reviews Without Spoilers is a series in which I review the books I've read without giving away any more than the inside cover plot summary would.



I've read three novels by Markus Zusak. My first was The Book Thief (2005), the world-renowned bestseller about a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. It quickly became one of my favorite books of all time because I'm intrigued by historical stories, moved by the characters, and inspired by the writing style. Because I liked it so much, I went back and read one of Zusak's older books, I Am the Messenger (2002) - it was thoroughly disappointing. I guess, somehow in the three years between novels, Zusak found what it takes to tell a compelling, realistic story. I'm glad he did!

I discovered The Book Thief in 2013, so I was a bit behind the times, but I adored it nonetheless. In 2016, I went to see Zusak speak near my hometown, and it was just wonderful. He was insightful, purposeful and honest. He seemed to really care about his readers in a way that I don't think many "made it big" authors would. Since then, I've been anticipating his next novel, which he'd vaguely discussed at the presentation.


Now, 13 years after The Book Thief, Bridge of Clay is finally here. And it is so worth the wait.

The style is similar between these two latest novels. After the first ten pages, I felt like I was home again in his writing. One of the things I love about Zusak's style is his use of foreshadowing. In these books, you won't find the shocking twists that other authors love. Instead, Zusak guides you through the story with narrators who hold your hand you through the events, preparing you for the inevitable, and comforting you even before tragedy strikes. Despite already knowing what will happen, Zusak will still make you cry when the moment comes.

Bridge of Clay is not historical fiction, so, while you can expect elements of The Book Thief, don't anticipate a war novel. Instead, Bridge of Clay is about a family with five boys. The Dunbar boys have to fend for themselves for the most part, but every other chapter includes the stories of their parents. The novel is narrated by Matthew, the oldest, who tries to act as the "man of the house" by providing and disciplining, but he's still a kid at heart himself. I didn't necessarily like Matthew as a narrator, but I think he was the only choice, really. It really was Clay's story, but, as Matthew puts it, the story was Clay's to live, not to write.

One thing that is reminiscent of The Book Thief, other than the general style: personifying death. Death doesn't narrate Bridge of Clay, but he is still felt lurking about. I admired Zusak for finding a way to allow one of my favorite characters to make a (minor) comeback in this new novel. In The Book Thief, Death has a life, ironically, and a voice. He has a personality, and readers grow to feel empathy for him as he works through World War II, hating that he has to do his job. Death in The Book Thief is compassionate and sincere. I appreciated being able to imagine that version of death as the one seen in Bridge of Clay.

This novel also had wonderful uses of The Iliad and The Odyssey all over the place. The similarities between the Dunbar boys and those classical allusions weren't impossible to find, but, even if they were, I just loved that those myths could by a source of safety and love as the family shared them. There was so much love in this novel, and sharing the classics was a beautiful way to show it.

I absolutely adored this work of art, so I'm giving it 5/5 stars.

Book: Bridge of Clay
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Release Date: 9 October 2018
Genre: general fiction
Length: 544 pages, 14 hrs 44 mins in audiobook format
Setting: Australia, spanning time within the past 50 years

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