Bridge Of Clay

Markus Zusak Doubleday €19.99

Eighteen-year-old Matthew is the eldest of five Australian brothers left to fend for themselves when their father, devastated by their mother’s death, abandons them. One day he reappears, wanting their help in building a bridge – and one brother, the endlessly obliging Clay, agrees to go with him. As their work progresses, Matthew explores the strange events that brought his parents together, starting with his mother’s escape from Eastern Europe during the communist era. Zusak writes affectingly, but his book is too long and too contrived.

Anthony Gardner