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Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo (view source)
Revision as of 16:25, 29 August 2020
, 16:25, 29 August 2020no edit summary
Other characters soon arrive - Mock and his son, Lucy's uncle, Lucy's future wife (whose scenes alone perhaps draw the slow pace the most), all with their part to play in a rich tapestry of small town life, and a great deal to subtly tell us about family connections, fatherhood and sonhood (and I know that's not a word) and the times the scenes are set in. For all the racial fights, thieving, heroism, and social tension, this is a completely realist novel. And for a book mostly about etiquette, social standing, societal conventions and so on it is a vital element that we get a realistic feel - if any of these lives strike a bum note, if any life's concerns come across as false, ''The Bridge of Sighs'' could collapse quite quickly. It doesn't.
I have often found modern American fiction greatly lacking in interest - the impression upon reading "Pulitzer Prize winner" a great big "so what?!" - but the 2002 winner here delivers a very smart, if long, read. The blurb insists the book is about America today - despite hardly any scenes and very few relevant details being set there - and it is only with relief that I say you can completely gloss over any allegories, metaphors or such similar, and instead read a quite engaging tale of American youth. While the narrators are now in their sixties, the teenage experiences Lou Jr divulges (and he himself is an interestingly flawed narrator) are the highlight of the book, and told with a great detail and an honesty that comes with that.
Nor is the detailing done in a forced way - all the scenes of note have great importance - the 'surfing' on the back of the milkvanmilk van, for instance. It is very noticeable though how every conversation is recorded with all its spoken nuances, and unspoken addenda, and every recollection of the aging ageing Lucy can freely take a page or more. (He professes to want to write a hundred -page autobiographical story, but we get a lot more.)
The characters may well be politicised in their attempts or not to make a living for themselves and their child, and the fights among the teens of Thomaston may be class-based, but there is no preaching, and instead a humanitarian narration that offers charm, insight, humour, and a recommended narrative.