Bridge of Clay

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Difficult to locate both in terms of time period and geography, the setting for the story seems to be Zusak’s homeland of Australia, though very little information is given away, which can be frustrating for a reader who wants to fully imagine a visual world for the characters. It is also often hard to tell which period of the narrative we are in at any given point: the segments can be as short as a paragraph or two. They come and go in a flash.

She turned the knob to a shadowed dimness and sat on the stool at the piano. Slowly, her hands drifted, and genly, she pressed the high-pitched notes. She hit them soft but true and right, where she'd used the paint left over. Beautifully written and thought-provoking, Bridge of Clay will tug at your heartstrings; and at the essential core of the novel is the delightfully uplifting message that life tends to find a way to make things right in the end.” — New York Journal of Books In the two decades of his writing process, Zusak went through several changes and challenges with the novel. He stated in an interview with Publishers Weekly that the most difficult problem was finding the right narrator, and giving that narrator the right voice. For six years a character named Maggie was the narrator of the novel, but upon revision was completely scrapped. His breakthrough of the book came when he first decided to quit the book—wherein he realised that he would not have been happy if he had done so, and "just had to finish it". [9] Prescription: I can’t seem to recommend this for anyone in the time being. If you want a better story about 5 brothers which is more relatable and has great writing then I recommend Watching Glass Shatter by James Cudney! there are times when you //think// you know what's going on bc a reference to something has been made and then it'll take a whole different turn and you'll be dropped off at Confusion Avenue

Bridge of Clay

A murderer should probably do many things, but he should never, under any circumstances, come home.” In a complex narrative that leaps through time and place and across oceans, Zusak paints a vivid portrait of the brothers trying to regain their balance by keeping their family’s story alive.”— Time

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the preview copy, and special thanks to Markus Zusak for bringing the Dunbar boys to life. Clay Dunbar – the fourth Dunbar boy, and main protagonist of the book. Characterised as a quiet and sensitive boy, who always had a love for storytelling and Michelangelo, and bears the weight of their mother's death the hardest. There are hundreds of thoughts per every word spoken, and that’s if they’re spoken at all.” ― Markus Zusak, Bridge of Clay Which cover art do you prefer?Five Dunbar boys, the eldest was Matthew (who narrated the story), the fourth was Clay, who seemed to be the most sensitive and socially aware. The youngest was Tommy with Henry and Rory somewhere in between. They lived at 18 Archer Street in the suburbs of Sydney, where Matthew took over the job of caring for his brothers after their mother died and six months later their father left without a word. Their struggles were many, their ways of grieving all different. So, does it deliver? Yes, in spades. Zusak has crafted a strapping story about love, family, courage, betrayal and guilt...a great novel, rich with meaning, and one that will endure.' Australian Book Review