Cover Image: Bridge of Clay

Bridge of Clay

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Member Reviews

A difficult book about grief, loss and forgiveness.

Bridge of Clay tells the story of the Dunbar brothers who are forced to fend for themselves after the death of their brother and the disappearance of their father. The boys find themselves all alone in a house with no rules. That is until their absentee father returns and asks his sons for help where there can be none. However one son agrees. Clay.

Written by the the best selling author Markus Zusak, responsible for the much loved The Book Thief, this book has been over a decade in the making. It’s a big book, weighing in at over 600 pages. At times it certainly felt like it. I found myself persevering with it when normally I wouldn’t. The first third of the book was massively confusing for me as the timelines jumped back and forth. There appeared to be little structure to this and seemed erratic, however, thankfully, the book settled and became more readable as it progressed.

It’s a slow, character driven piece that many may take pleasure in but for me it was something of a slog with so much unnecessary filler. The brothers all
have personalities of their own but the author does not dwell long enough to make them interesting, perhaps apart from Clay.The most interesting character for me was the mother and the backstory of her journey from communist Poland to her arrival in Australia
Unfortunately I mostly ended up losing interest in the characters

I’m unsure why I was compelled to finish, it did keep eating away at me and made me want to give it another go. It may be that the author does write beautifully at times and the prose is almost poetical (but perhaps overly?)

My initial reaction was that I didn’t enjoy the book however I still find myself thinking about this book some time later. Perhaps the author wants you to work at it and makes it a purposely difficult read so that the reward is greater?

It’s an odd,confusing book about love, loss, building bridges, (literally and metaphorically) and forgiveness. Did I enjoy it? Weeks later I’m still conflicted!
Give it a go, maybe?

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I really love this book. Completely different and unusual enough to remind me a little of James Joyce. I realised from page one that this was a book that took you for an unexpected ride so I just followed the story and the characters in their journey. This is nothing like the Book's thief so don't read it expecting something similar because you may be disappointed. I enjoyed this book for many reasons, the main one was the way it broke the mould that's too often applies to best-selling novels that are actually just a clone of something else. This is totally unique and well worth reading.

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There is a very literal bridge at the centre of Bridge of Clay. It’s lovingly hand built and inspired by the Roman wonder Pont Du Gard — the UNESCO heritage aqueduct that spans a humble river in the South of France. That bridge has three tiers of carefully crafted archways, each building on the other, and gradually jigsawing together. Pont du Gard's hefty stone blocks hold together through friction alone, without the use of mortar.

I think it’s fair to say there’s lot in the literary structure of Bridge of Clay, that — probably both intentionally and unintentionally — mirror the structure of its famous Roman inspiration. You arch through the story, dipping your toes in here and there. Key events are hinted at, and circled around, long before they’re revealed, and many things are overstated or understated as they’re fed through the perspective of the narrator, Matthew; the oldest of five brothers. Bricks of narrative are carefully crafted, then slotted into place one at a time, although not chronologically. Gradually, gradually, the full form comes into focus and you can see your way to the other side. And, like the Pont du Gard, it’s a friction-held feat of structural engineering you’re never quite sure is going to hold.

The bridge metaphor may seem laboured, but I can only imagine that the book was constructed with exactly this in mind. A vision of the Pont Du Gard in word form. But the beauty of Bridge of Clay is for all its magnificent strides and epic reaches, the core story is a simpler one: five emotionally illiterate boys mourning the death of their mother. We’re told early on: “Our mother was dead. Our father had fled.” Leaving the five ‘Dunbar boys’ living a semi-feral existence in suburban Australia, under the loose guardianship of the oldest brother Matthew. Matthew is old enough to earn a living and pay the bills, but despite his best efforts, his four brothers are largely left to process their grief, and find their way, alone. We also dip into the backstory of their mother, Penny, a concert pianist who escaped the USSR to become first a cleaner and then an English Language teacher; and their father, Michael, a small town artist with a broken heart, who had given up on life before meeting Penny. There is also Carey, one brother’s would-be girlfriend and a talented apprentice jockey. The boys live in Sydney’s racing quarter and racing symbolism looms almost as large as the bridge.

But the five brothers themselves are what truly bring the book to life; they’re not the kind of characters who usually populate the pages of literary fiction. Clay, the second youngest brother, forms the centre of the story, and he barely speaks. Tommy was only five when their mother died and has spent the intervening years caring for the animals his brothers have gifted to him in a clumsy attempt to fill the hole. Henry is the wise-cracking wheeler-dealer, and the second-oldest Rory has “scrap-metal eyes,” They all repress, rather than express their feelings, and when their emotions do come out it is through either comedy, or more often, violence. Words aren’t their strong point, despite their mother’s obsessive love of the Odyssey and the Iliad; the drama of which has rooted down in each boy’s soul. So, when Matthew does finally set finger to ancient typewriter to narrate this story, his narrative style is a little on the overblown and dramatic side.

So, there’s an Ancient Greek-inspired narrative style to go with the Ancient Roman-inspired narrative structure.
Depending on your taste, that Pont du Gard-like structural gameplay can be a thrilling puzzle to solve, or a patience-trying irritation. Or sometimes a bit of both. You can’t help wondering if there isn’t a simpler way to get to the other side. And of course there is, but that would be missing the point. Sometimes you have to build a bridge to show you can, and as a reader you can choose to be part of that, or not. It certainly takes patience and faith to wait while all those inter-connecting story-bricks slot, one by one, into place. Yes, maybe those bricks could have been packed a little more tightly together. Maybe there was one ostentatious arch too many. But the characters are good enough, and unusual enough, to pull you through regardless. And there’s no denying the audacity of the ambitious scale, and that’s an impressive thing in itself.

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Bridge of Clay follows five brothers as they face abandonment from their father, and the ultimate quest for forgiveness and what it means to be a family. Oh, and building a bridge.

I found this really difficult to read, and I’m unsure if it’s a case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ or the other way round. I bought The Book Thief when it was first released (I have the hardback first edition floating around at my mother’s house somewhere) but I wasn’t all that impressed with Zusak’s writing style. When I received at ARC for this I was willing to give him another go, but I think I may have to admit defeat.

The story is so complicated, with a style of prose I really hate, so that descriptions become paragraphs with long metaphorical meanings. It made the pacing about as slow as wading through mud, and it was incredibly hard to stay afloat. The meandering pace just killed off any interest I might have had in the plot. It also jumps between past, present and future which I found incredibly frustrating and difficult to follow.

I also didn’t really connect with any of the brothers, and didn’t really care about their various issues which seemed so central to the story. I mean, one of the brothers becomes obsessed with bridge building, and not the metaphorical kind, which unfortunately I was never going to find appealing anyway. The bond between the brothers is quite nice, and there’s an obvious familial love running through the story, but they all across as emotionless hardy men who began to all blend into one.

Not for me unfortunately. I think I may have to leave Zusak’s work to the majority.

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Not having read any Zusak novels before, I was very keen to read him to see if he'll become one of my favourite writers as well.

I struggled in the beginning. The first 50- 70 pages were hard work, I considered giving up several times, especially dreading 400 more pages of the same. I just couldn't get a grip, I couldn't understand what I was reading, who was the narrator, the back and forth, and sideways, gave me whiplash, but I persevered. I'm glad I did, as it got much better. I got to know the characters, although, even that took some time, anyway, the novel became more readable.

This novel is about the Dunbar boys, five of them, six, if you count their father. So much testosterone, grunting, inability to communicate or express emotions... I can't help but wonder if it was intentional and if that's why it took so many pages for Zusak to get to the point !?!????

I've realised that my enjoyment increased when Zusak unfolded the mother's story - Penelope - had escaped Communist Poland and immigrated to Australia without knowing a soul there.

There are many beautiful passages, but also a lot of padding, including lots of smaller, insignificant characters that don't add that much to the story. Oh, and a plethora of pets. Even though I began to get it or just got used to it, the structure and pacing were still jarring. I really had to push myself to get back to this novel and I say this as someone who enjoys slow, character-driven novels.

So in conclusion, I'm glad that I finally read a Zusak novel, even though it won't make it to my favourites shelf. It was too much work for little reward, as it failed to wow me and get my full emotional investment.

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I was so excited when i saw this up on Netgalley - finally, a new Markus Zusack! The writing is as warmy, witty and lyrical as ever and I absolutely loved this.

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A decade since The Book Thief, this was definitely worth the wait! Zusak’s writing is poetic and his storytelling ability is masterful. Wouldn’t want to give too much away, so all I’ll say is BUY THIS BOOK! You won’t be disappointed.

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I adore The Book Thief and I squealed out loud when I A, found out that Zusak had written a new book and B, I had been approved on NetGalley to read it early. I was so excited that I dropped the book I was reading and immediately started it. It wasn't even that I wanted to love it, more that I expected I would. Unfortunately, I really struggled and ultimately I did not even like it that much. I put it down, picked it up again a few months later - still no. My final attempt was this weekend. The story struggled to come through the writing, which is so heartbreaking as I know what I love most about The Book Thief is its effortless storytelling AND that The Bridge Of Clay is a beautiful story of five brothers. Maybe I will try again in 2019 and try to persist through the first half, but for now it remains unfinished and unloved :(

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Never have I been so distraught that a book didn't live up to my expectations. The Book Thief, by Zusak, is one of my all time favourites and one of the very few books in the world to have made me 'ugly-cry'. (You know...when you've lost all care for the rivulets of snot running down your face and your other half thinks someone has died - that sort of crying.) With that in mind, perhaps I went into this with overly weighty expectations, but I will just say that I was prepared for this to be a different type of book, I just wasn't prepared for it to annoy me SO MUCH.

The most frustrating thing, is that this could have been such a beautiful story, if the writing just got out of its own way and allowed the story to be told.

It's a tale of 5 brothers, who lose their mother way too young and whose father leaves them to fend for themselves, unable to cope with the grief. Powerful stuff, right? But the complex writing style and overly elaborate metaphors stole from the beauty of this book. I'll give you a few examples:

"Inside, the house was oven-like.
The furniture all was roasted.
The pictures just out of the toaster.
They had an air conditioner. It was broken.
There was tea and Scotch Fingers, and sun clapped hard to the window. There was ample sweat at the table. It dripped from arm to cloth."

(As an aside - I'm not the first reviewer to use that quote as an example, but it does illustrate really well how frustrating I found the metaphors and clunky imagery)

or...

"It was Abbey crying herself that day, all wet, white dress and smoky. It was Michael Dunbar as a younger man, carrying her out into the sunshine. It was driving back (.......) it was lying there(...)"

Here, I came away from that paragraph going, "WHAT was...WHAT WAS?! WHAT DOES SMOKY MEAN HERE??"

Add to the overly poetic writing style, the jumping around in the timeline, and it can make for quite confusing reading. Normally I can deal quite happily with fragmented chronology, but combined with everything else, it just became too confusing and I was constantly checking whose story we were now following.

What a shame, for this all detracted from a story of family, love, death and overwhelming grief, that should have had me 'ugly crying' with the best of them. I very nearly gave up on this one as it is a behemoth of a book and when you're not enjoying something, continuing such a long book can seem daunting. However, about 40% of the way in I did get used to the writing style and I did genuinely want to find out what happened to the characters. The story was just laid out too slowly and way too artistically for me to get much gratification form it.

There's no denying Zusak is an absolute talent. I just wonder if with this one, he just tried too hard.

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I loved Zusak's other book, The Book Thief, so I had high hopes for this book. Overall I really enjoyed this book but it was definitely a little confusing at times. Concentration is key when reading this book but it is well worth the effort. I love Zusak's writing style, but it's probably not for everyone. This is a character driven book and you come to really care about them. Overall a great book, but a little slow at times and a bit of a hard start.

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I've been waiting for this book, like most people, for years. I've been hoping that the same magical spark that made The Book Thief so incredibly moving would stay in this novel, but that unfortunately was not the case. It's a book where nothing much really happens, and the stream of consciousness narrative that so often goes into a tangent that isn't related to the overall narrative, that you lose track of what's going on. A wandering narrative that doesn't pay much off. You end up losing interest in the characters and the themes of the book- which are interesting enough- because your focus has been completely lost. I am really disappointed by this book, and I can only hope that next time, Zusak takes a different approach when constructing his novel .

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5★
“Many considered us tearaways.
Barbarians.
Mostly they were right:
Our mother was dead.
Our father had fled.

We swore like bastards, fought like contenders, and punished each other at pool, at table tennis (always on third- or fourth-hand tables, and often set up on the lumpy grass of the backyard), at Monopoly, darts, football, cards, at everything we could get our hands on.”

Zusak basically walks you up the steps of a houseful of boys with little introduction. He also designs the physical pages of the book with a particular pattern and flow which lead you into the story.

Matthew Dunbar opens the story a few pages earlier than this quotation, telling us he’s punching away on the old TW (typewriter), which was owned by his grandmother, but of course we don’t know who he is or who is grandmother is.

He is writing the story of his family from his own point of view (when he’s part of the action), but from an author’s (or omniscient narrator’s) point of view in all the scenes that took place before he was born or that were between other characters. I found it always easy to distinguish, and it made me feel he was acting as the family historian to whom everyone had entrusted their innermost thoughts.

The part that’s tricky is the walking up the steps and facing this lively mob of boys who are without adult supervision, and all we know is that the parents are absent. This is a tried-and-true coming of age device that appeals to young readers – having kids ‘abandoned’ and on their own – but it doesn’t last long. Matthew assumes the adult role and we meet the real adults soon enough.

Still, we really don’t know why there’s a mule in the kitchen, who it is they refer to all the time as “The Murderer” (or why), and why someone has gone to all the trouble to go back to someone else’s backyard to dig up bones and a snakeskin and – wait for it – the old TW, wrapped in plastic.

Five brothers: Matthew, Henry, Rory, Clay, Tommy. Each with a different personality and part to play, although Tommy is so little he features mostly as a “training weight” for Clay to carry up staircases and hills to build his strength. And Rory was born roaring and is anxious to fight anyone at the drop of a hat – or even at the slight fluttering of a hat - and his job is to tackle Clay to slow him down as he runs. Huh? Interesting training regime.

As Zusak weaves his way back and forth, we grow to love and understand the young people who became the boys’ parents and grandparents (as well as the one who got away). They don’t have much, but their back fence is the other side of a practice course and racetrack, so there’s still some open ground in the area, especially at The Surrounds, “a sculpture garden.”

“He woke up in the biggest bedroom in the city.
For Clay, it was perfect, another strange but sacred site: it was a bed, in a field, with the ignition of dawn and distant rooftops; or, more accurately an old mattress, lying faded in the earth. . . in the field behind our house. . . All that remained was an emptiness – a giant, uneven paddock, and a sculpture garden of household waste: Troubled televisions. Battered washing machines. Catapulted microwaves. One enduring mattress.”

I love Markus Zusak’s characters, especially these boys. Like Tim Winton, he seems to capture that wonderful mix of innocence and hope with the life-changing reality of tragedy and despair they can’t escape. Things happen that would bring the best of us undone.

These boys fight each other fiercely, but when a Dunbar boy is attacked by bullies, watch out.

“Clay knew how to hurt them. He had one or two of most things, but also a thousand elbows.”

Books and reading figure strongly with the boys, who love the stories of the classics, especially the Odyssey and ancient history. Clay begs to hear his mother’s stories, often just family anecdotes, and he seems a little simple at first. Only at first. There’s a lot more to him. He does become the bridge in the family even as he helps to physically build a real bridge with stone arches and all.

Wonderful writing, and truly, it all does come together somehow, but I understand some readers don’t let it wash over them long enough for it to soak in. The writing alone is enough to keep me going.

“In those days, too, I remind myself, our parents were something else.
Sure, they fought sometimes, they argued.
There was the odd suburban thunderbolt, but they were mostly those people who’d found each other; they were golden and bright-lit and funny. Often they seemed in cahoots somehow, like jailbirds who wouldn’t leave; they loved us, they liked us, and that was a pretty good trick. After all, take five boys, put them in one small house, and see what it looks and sounds like: it’s a porridge of mess and fighting.”

What parent hasn’t either enjoyed, or wished they could enjoy, being in cahoots with another adult when there’s a roomful of kids?

I finished reading this a little while ago, and I'm still living with this family. The going back and forth in time explains each character’s strengths or flaws after we’ve met them, and after all, isn't that how we would meet them if we walked up those steps?

LOVED IT!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the preview copy, and special thanks to Markus Zusak for bringing the Dunbar boys to life.

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I had heard a lot about this book so I knew that I had to read it. -what a book!!
It is not a quick starter and it takes a while to get going but it is worth it.
Book is based/about family, grief, relationships and love.
Great Book.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Random House UK for my ARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

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Michael Dunbar, 'the Murderer' had two loves - his first wife Abbey, now estranged; and his second, Penelope, a piano-playing immigrant, now dead.

Penny and Michael's five sons are home alone after Michael departs the family home.

One son, Clay, also has a great love - Carey Novac, an aspiring jockey. Like Michael, Clay's life is moulded by tragedy. Accompanied by Achilles the mule, echoing the Homeric favourites of Penelope, Clay starts on a journey to reunite with his father, leading to the building of the bridge that will reunite them all and lead to the next steps in his journey.

I found this initially a bit hard going, but the more I read, and the faster I read, the characters pulled me on and I was gripped to the end.

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Set in and around Sydney, this is the story of the five Dunbar brothers – Matthew, Rory, Henry, Clay and Tommy – who are raising themselves as best they can after their mother’s death and the abandonment of their father. It’s a chaotic life, not helped by a menagerie of pets all named after Greek heroes. The grieving boys have to find solace where they can, as they struggle with their loss. The novel opens with their father turning up out of the blue and asking if one of his sons is willing to help him build a bridge. Clay agrees and drops out of school to go with his father. That’s the basic trajectory of the novel, but it’s surrounded by a bewildering array of sub-plots, minor characters and a fragmented chronology, so much so that I found it hard to keep track of where and when I was. The slow reveal of the back story means it takes too long to really get a handle on what’s going on and leaves less opportunity to really bond with the boys. There are some truly moving moments in the book but they are overlaid with too much clutter. The symbolism of the bridge is at one time heavy-handed and yet not explicit enough. A bridge to where? Between whom? The father is a shadowy figure and we never get a chance to find out why he abandoned his sons – it’s not enough to assume it was simply his grief, we need his point of view. It’s an emotional novel, but the emotion overwhelms the narrative and yet gets subsumed by all the jumping about. Overall, I found it an unsatisfactory read which always seemed to be just eluding my grasp. If I have to put that much effort into a book, I need more of a payback, and I didn’t get it here.

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I spent so much of this book willing it to end, and now I can't get these characters out of my head. Bridge of Clay is of such a length that it felt daunting at times, and honestly, like I'd never finish it. I absolutely ADORED The Book Thief - didn't we all? - and I Am the Messenger too, but this book didn't capture my heart from the get go. The pacing is slow, there are so many characters, too many brothers if anything, and a lot of jumping around in the timeline that it was confusing and overwhelming. It wasn't until the last ~15% that my heart really started to be pulled into this story, and subsequently be smashed to smithereens. It is such a long slog for the pay off, but I almost missed my stop on the bus because I couldn't bear putting it down when I was so, so, so close to the end. It's an epic tale of family and fate and so emotional towards the end, that I do feel it was worth the wait to the end, but it was such an uphill push to actually make it there. Definitely a book you have to commit to, but rewarding and heartwarming.

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Every now and then, a reader comes across a book that takes hold of them and won’t let go. Bridge of Clay is one these books. Perennial in its nature, profound in its ramblings, and a great big brilliant mess of multilayered, interjecting, and powerful narration.

At its core, this book is a story about the 5 Dunbar boys, their 5 uniquely named animals, a Mum, a Murderer, a female jockey called Carey, and a bridge.
At its periphery it’s about love, devastation, loss, and mending bridges.

Words cannot express how utterly enjoyable and completely absorbing this book was for me, I finished it in 2 sittings (whilst on a weekend vacation!). It also hit many wonderful and oftentimes personal marks for me. It is incredibly well-written, with such rich descriptions - making you feel like you’re right there. and it evokes a full spectrum of emotions. Each character was so uniquely crafted that I could picture them all like they were my own family. I loved every moment of this book.

Many thanks to Markus Zusak, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, and NetGalley, for an ARC of this captivating novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Ten years ago I read a book called The Book Thief, years later it has stayed with me. I think of it now and again and it still has the ability to make the hairs on my neck stand on end.

It is therefore understandable that Bridge of Clay was one of my most anticipated books of the year and what an utter treat of a book it turned out to be!

Enter the Dunbar family, five brothers whom have been left to their own devices with a curious medley of animals in a house full of chaos. Clay the second youngest is captivating from the start as we hear his story from his brother’s words which he batters and hammers out on an old typewriter. We meet Clay at lots of times within his short life as we journey backwards and forwards to the almost now and the ‘before the beginning.’ (Bridge of Clay - Markus Zusak)

Everything that I love about Zusak’s writing can be found within these pages - his, by now, almost signature use of personifying even the most inanimate of objects brought the smallest of details alive before my eyes.

As I read I forgot everything around me. Like no one else Zusak has the ability to transport you to a place that is other worldly - a place where beautiful words hang in the sky and whisper to you from the trees and each and every one of them is wondrous.

As I sobbed and smiled and cheered my way to the final page - I was left broken yet whole, aching even as my heart leapt and soared. A truly special book is one that can take you to a place where real life no longer exists and the words on the page are just EVERYTHING. Bridge of Clay is one of those books - put your life on hold for a little while and meet a boy called Clay - you won’t ever forget him.

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First of all I must say reading this book is hard work. It is a history of a family presented like a patchwork quilt - a bit here and a bit there, jumping around from person to person, place to place and past to present. Concentration is the key.

Hard work does pay off however and this is a really beautiful book. As the story progresses Zusak's characters start to work their way into your heart and the pages just slip past as you begin to discover just what has occurred. Little things like why the clothes pegs mean so much to Clay all become clear by the end. Tissues are required - there are several very sad moments.

But there are also lots of fun times as you would expect in a household of five boys. I loved Achilles the mule who felt that he too should live in the house, and there is a wonderful neighbour who comes by to fix them up when they have been fighting. Which is often.

This is a book about relationships and about love. I finished it yesterday and it is still buzzing around in my head. That is a sure sign of a good book.

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After reading Markus Zusak's epic The Book Thief (and ugly crying for days afterward...) I was very excited to get my hands on Bridge of Clay. I loved the premise, as I love family stories and family dynamics explored in fiction.

I have to say it did take me a while to get into the book. It's definitely a slow burn, and a long book! It is written in classic Zusak style, and I found that he used more metaphor and experimental techniques than in The Book Thief so at times I struggled to fully understand what he was trying to say. I really had to concentrate on every sentence to get the full meaning. It's not a book you can half-read or skim. The time line was also tricky to follow at times, and there was much talk of before's and beginnings, so it took a bit of brain power to place everything in a logical flow.

Having said that, the writing was inspired and many times I had to stop and savor a sentence, or write it down to remember later. The story is simple, but beautiful. I found it very emotive and I connected with the characters. The only character I couldn't really manage to like is the narrator, Matthew. He was a bit of a nothing to me, I found the other brothers so much more interesting and entertaining. True to form he had me in puddles of tears by the end. This book isn't The Book Thief, and I doubt it will ever have even similar success, but it feels like a more personal piece of writing, and for that I think I like it more. It will stay with me a long time.

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