I’m in Canada with two brothers and a strained relationship

Last summer when I was attempting to reduce the size of my to-be-read piles (spoiler – I failed) one of the books I chose to read was Crow Lake by Mary Lawson (see my review here). I loved it so much that I bought another of her novels from a secondhand bookshop via the Internet and it has been waiting around ever since for me to get to it.

The Other Side of the Bridge is set in Canada and the author is Canadian. The action takes place in a small, rural town before, during and after WW2. It’s a work of literary fiction and not particularly long but the author Canadian, has a lot to say about love, rivalry, relationships and betrayal. The story concerns two brothers, Arthur and Jake, who are brought up on a farm. There are issues between the boys from childhood and Arthur acts badly at one point which sets the tone for their adult relationship. It comes to a head over Laura, a young woman who is attracted to Jake but who ends up marrying Arthur.

The conflict between the two boys/men is at the heart of the book and it reflects the changes in society at this time – Jake craves excitement and new things and Arthur stands for stability and continuity. The author also includes other characters who have similar struggles to define themselves, especially when there is a war but also when there is parental pressure piled upon them. The situation between Jake and Arthur leads eventually to tragedy and it is obvious, from the beginning of the book, that this is the only possible outcome.

This is a thoughtful book with some very powerful writing. The author makes you care about all the characters and to understand their actions, even if you don’t agree with what they do. The landscape of rural Canada and the challenges of making a living from the land are an integral part of the story and root the characters in reality.

I loved this book and have put it on my bookshelf for a future reread. I shall need to read more of this author’s work and, therefore, reading this book will only make my to-be-read situation worse ! It’s worth it, though.

Canada is a large country with an interesting history so this book doesn’t encapsulate all that it means to be Canadian, by any means. I wonder if any of my blog readers have any suggestions for other books which tell a different tale about Canada and its people ?