Review: Crossing the Bridge by Michael Baron

Today I finished reading Michael Baron's new novel, Crossing the Bridge. This was a captivating story.

Summary: Hugh Penders is a drifter, moving from state to state, job to job, and woman to woman. Since his brother Chase died in an automobile accident ten years ago, while Hugh was in college, he has avoided his small hometown, Amber, as much as possible. When his father has a heart attack, he must return home to his dismay. While there, he runs his father's stationary store and hates it, and feels like an outsider amongst his own family. One day, he spots Iris outside of the store and immediately feels drawn to her, much like he did ten years ago while Chase was dating her. He has always loved Iris, and wants to reconnect with her so they begin building up a great friendship again. He is falling in love with her for the second time, and she may feel the same way, but it is far too difficult for both of them, as Chase seems to haunt their every thought and action.

My Thoughts: Wow, this book was excellent. It completely drew me in, and captured my attention from start to finish. The first notable feature about this novel is the writing: it is beautifully written and so full of heart that I was able to understand and almost feel myself, the emotional rollercoaster ride that is Hugh's life. This is also really not a plot driven book, but is based more around character development. I enjoy reading this type of fiction sometimes, as it enables the reader to really delve into the character's minds, and allows us to begin to care about them and the outcome of the story.

While this novel has many romantic elements, I would not consider it to be a romance book. To me, it is more about life, the past, and learning to let go. I really enjoy reading books that explore deep issues such as this one, and appreciate when a novel is written well enough to evoke emotion in the reader. For me, this was that kind of book. I also enjoyed reading about the romantic entanglement and aftermath of a tragic death from a male perspective. In most of the novels I read, the story is told from a female perspective, so this was something new and unique to me. I finished this book earlier this afternoon, and am still thinking about it.

If you are looking for a great contemporary fiction novel to read, check this one out. Michael Baron is really going places with this one and I am definitely planning on reading his other novels now.

Rating: 4.5/5

A big thanks to The Story Plant for sending me this book for review. This is my honest and personal review.

Currently Reading: Urban Gothic by Brian Keene, a horror novel. As you can see, I have a very eclectic taste in books. This should be fun to read!