Marcus Zusak charmed and entranced a mass audience with The Book Thief. Bridge of Clay is a totally different novel. This book swirls and swoops through different times, different stories, and different spotlighted characters until finally the saga of the Dunbar Boys is told. Reading it can be a challenge. At times, I was mesmerized. At times I was confused. And at other times I was repulsed by the violent brawling that fills the pages. But as I stuck with it, I was amazed at how he could make me believe and care about these characters who bear no relation to anyone I know. This is masterful storytelling. But it does not closely resemble The Book Thief. There were things that I loved in the details and there are many details. You may wonder how a story of brawling brothers, racing, horse racing, death, love, dirt, blood, the Iliad, the Odyssey, Michelangelo, a mule, the Pont du Gard, and buried skeletons with a typewriter can all come together under the unrelenting sunshine. You would be wise to wonder, but the tapestry that our author weaves is a fully integrated whole when finished. It is a novel that will challenge those who like their stories to be linear and clear. The style, the organization, the voices, and the extraordinary story telling all make this novel worth reading.
