Our mother was dead. Our father had fled.
Five Dunbar brothers are living – fighting, loving, grieving – in the perfect chaos of a house without grown-ups.
This is a family rocked by tragedy and long buried secrets. To understand his family’s story, Matthew Dunbar must travel to find three things. A lost typewriter -- A dead dog -- The bones of the snake that killed it.
He will learn of a mother who crosses continents for a new home; of a father searching for love in the keys of an old piano; and, finally, of a brother named Clay, who will make the most challenging journey of them all, and change their lives for ever.
First Published: 2018
Pages: 570
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Coming of Age
Amazon Rating: 4.2 out of 5 from 6,500 reviews
Our review in brief:
| 1. Rating: 6 out of 10 - Scores ranged from 4 to 8.5 |
| 2. Recommended: The vast majority of people said they would not recommend the book. It was too tough a read and would only suit a very keen reader. |
| 3. Audience: The book may appeal to readers who are older. It would suit both men and women. |
| 4. Type of Read: It was a hard read that needed concentration. There was a great deal of moving between different time frames. The start was confusing and it was easy to mix up some of the characters. The book was bleak and some people struggled to finish it. The book was also overly complicated and may have benefitted from more editing. |
| 5. Quality of the Author: Most people would not read another book by this author but agreed that some sections (e.g. the early life of the mother) were very well written. |
| 6. Other observations: The authors previous book "The Book Thief" was far better and people who had read this before "Bridge of Clay" were disappointed. |
| The book handled the topic of grief very well. The underlying themes were interesting and the references to death was reminiscent of the "Book Thief". |