The Brat Pack meets The Bacchae in this precious, way-too-long, and utterly unsuspenseful town-and-gown murder tale. This is the story of two individuals with ties to the Golden Gate bridge's construction via family members.

We hear about the stoicism of parents, of angst and hopes of boys as they grow into men and the impact of World World II on this community. The story didn’t develop very deeply, as Dave had many thoughts from his past but they were all only ever from the week or so lived at the beginning of the book. Taut with apprehension, surprising us with moments of tenderness and humour, The Other Side of the Bridge is a compelling, humane and vividly evoked novel with an irresistible emotional undertow. My favorite quote from the book is “Baseball is symmetry and grace and beauty and power, all woven into a single fabric.Both Dave and Kate live through many depressing things, but through these experiences their healing is taking place.

Many life lessons are learned and discovered as lives are lost, hearts are broken and betrayed, and two people from opposite sides of the states try to find understanding and hope for a new day and a new start.

With the kind of emotional impulsiveness that has frustrated her stony-faced husband for years, she decides to move there and recover from life’s sorrows. Mary Lawson's The Other Side of the Bridge deserved its place on the Booker longlist, says Penelope Lively". He ends up getting Laura pregnant and disappearing, leaving only a single-line note, “Sorry to go without saying good-bye.