On October 15, 1970, a span of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapsed during construction, killing 35 workers and sucking countless souls into the aftermath. Out of one of Australia's worst industrial accidents, Enza Gandolfo crafts a novel that imagines the long-term fallout as the 40th anniversary of the catastrophe approaches.
Newlywed Antonello was one of the survivors, an Italian immigrant trying to be "Australiani," working as a rigger high atop the structure. Nello lost friends and his father-figure foreman; he gained anger, depression and guilt--they had all known things weren't right with the bridge. In 2009, Nello is a grandfather with a lovely family. But he's just "partly human," unable to be the man he intended, emotionally blocked and haunted by persistent nightmares about falling: "There was no escaping the bridge."
Across town, single mother Mandy is struggling to get by with her 18-year-old daughter, Jo. Like Nello, Mandy sees signs of trouble but fails to speak out. The cost of staying silent is a tragedy that locks the two families together.
In The Bridge, Gandolfo tenderly explores the repercussions of trauma, providing a tribute to the men who built the bridge and their long-suffering families. Shortlisted for the 2019 Stella Prize, The Bridge is a gripping look at life through the prism of grief and blame. --Lauren O'Brien of Malcolm Avenue Review