Bridge of Clay is the story of five brothers, The Dunbar Boys, Matthew, Rory, Henry, Clay and Tommy, who lost their mother and were abandoned by their father. The main focus of the book, as narrated by Matthew, is Clay’s story, the one who talks the least but feels the most.“The story was his, but not the writing. It was hard enough living and being it.”In an interview with Publisher’s Weekly, Zusak says, “I told myself not everyone is going to love this, so I might as well do it exactly how I want. Then I was writing from a much purer perspective, which is to do what’s right by the characters in the book.”This book won’t be for everyone, but I feel like everyone should give it a chance…get through the beginning where it can be a little confusing and I think you will want to spend some time with the Dunbar boys. They have an amazing story to tell.I marked up so many things reading this book…this is one of my favorite passages.“—but Carey was open, oblivious. She’d treated knowing him like some kind of privilege—and she was right to, I’m glad that she did.”I received an advanced copy from the publisher; all opinions are my own.

The Book Thief is in my top 5 favorite books of all time. Markus Zusak has an amazing way of bringing his characters to life in such a way that they stay with me, long after the book is over. Bridge of Clay took years and years for Markus to write, which is quite an inspirational story in and of itself. While reading Bridge, I appreciated each detail of his writing because I knew how intentional it was for him. These five Dunbar brothers and their story is one that will stay with me. The writing of their tale is woven together so masterfully, poetically, gingerly. The story does not begin at the beginning--it begins in the present, which is the end; and then it goes back in time to the beginning. It's difficult to figure the timing out at first, but keep reading. The words drew me in and once I was in, I didn't want the story to end. I also tried to predict how Markus would tie all the pieces together at the end, as he did so masterfully in Book Thief. Bridge of Clay did not disappoint. The book ends back at the beginning. The circular way of writing adds layer upon layer to the characters and their dynamic relationship. The writing shows the complexity of these five Dunbar boys, but you will love them! I already want to read it again.

Markus Zusak author of the acclaimed novel and now title movie, The Book Thief, is on the verge of his second release. Zusak’s latest work Bridge of Clay, is a multigenerational family portrait that deals with issues of loss, regret, creation, and the danger and joy of love. Told by Matthew Dunbar, the oldest of the Dunbar brothers, Bridge of Clay is less about its narrator and more about Clay: the brother who bridged a broken family, a broken past, and a broken peace.Bridge of Clay reaches across and through time to tell the story of the five Dunbar boys. The story, though, starts before the brothers are born, with their mother Penelope and the struggles she overcame to become the person they came to know. There’s also the boys’ father, Michael, and the loss and pain he was swept up in before and after his sons were born. Then there’s the meeting of Penelope and Michael in the midst of a piano delivery gone wrong. There’s the Iliad and the Odyssey, there’s Carey to almost-famous jockey, and Clay’s best friend. Threads and threads woven together to tell Zusak’s saga.Through all this mass of time, Matthew begins his story at one of many beginnings, which is also a middle and an end. Much of Zusak’s novel is told in this way: circling through distant past, near past, and present so that the reader at times can’t be sure which part of the circle she’s in or why it matters. Sometimes the reader reaches the curve of that story 100 or 500 pages later, and suddenly something makes perfect sense. While this device, at times, can make aspects of the various storylines seem irrelevant, it’s a device that in the end makes the reader realize she’s read a masterpiece. That being said, she needs to make it to the end to have that realization.Much of the novel is contemplative in nature and has a beautiful stillness that moves the reader into all different ranges of emotions: joy, sadness, pain. The effort it takes to maneuver through the tangles of time and truly get to know the characters is great. The end makes all the reader’s struggles well worth while though and rewards those who have the stamina to make it.Slated for release by Knopf publishing on October 9, 2018, you can order a copy of Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak from your local bookstore.

Very good book Best I’ve read in a while

Too many books, so little time. I usually give a book 50 pages, I only got to 20 on this one. I really wanted to like it because I love this author's other books, especially The Book Thief. I was highly disappointed. This jumps around too much. Time to move on.