The Other Side of the Bridge: Discover the author Graham Norton praised for her ‘poised, elegant prose, paired with quiet drama that will break your heart.’

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Mrs. Dunn: Arthur and Jake's mother. Has had multiple miscarriages in the past leading to her overprotective nature of Jake. An Act to Enlarge the Powers of, and to render more effectual, the several Acts passed for the paving, cleaning, Lighting and Otherwise Regulating the Squares, Streets and Other Places Within the City and Liberty of Westminster and the Surrey Side of Westminster Bridge. The first sign of trouble". Independent.co.uk. 30 September 2006. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04 . Retrieved 2017-09-16. As the war progresses, many of the small town’s young men are killed. Arthur and Jake, both unable to serve, Arthur because of flat feet, Jake because of his limp, are among the few survivors of their generation in the area. Near the end of the war, they both fall in love with Laura, a young girl whose family moves to town during the war. Arthur is in love with Laura but never does anything about it. Jake is not in love with her and pursues her mostly out of spite for his brother. He ends up getting Laura pregnant and disappearing, leaving only a single-line note, “Sorry to go without saying good-bye. Love, Jake” (292). Beth Christopherson: Ian's mother and Dr. Christopherson's wife. She leaves Ian and Dr. Christopherson in Chapter 3 because she no longer loves Dr. Christopherson anymore. She moves to Toronto with Robert Patterson, Ian's teacher.

Ian’s story is set in the late 1950s, a generation later than Arthur’s, which begins toward the end of the Great Depression, in the late 1930s. Arthur is a child and young man in the chapters told from his point-of-view, and a grown man with a wife and children in the chapters told from Ian’s point-of-view. Lawson’s choice of structure means the action of the novel sometimes occurs out of sequence, and the novel sometimes does not fill in all the gaps between the two stories, leaving some details for the reader to guess at on their own. Alongside the farming family is the story of Ian, the local doctor’s son. He’s wrath at his mother who abandoned him and his father, seems to dominate his life and actions. The Accidental Rift". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05 . Retrieved 2017-09-16. The Other Side of the Bridge : Discover the Author Graham Norton Praised for Her 'poised, Elegant Prose, Paired with Quiet Drama That Will Break Your Heart. 'Arthur is the first-born child and the favorite of his father. Jake, who was born after two miscarriages, is their mother’s favorite. This dichotomy remains throughout the novel, with Arthur in the more masculine role while Jake is continually the more feminine character. While this split exists, each brother also longs for the affection and approval of the parent that they feel like they do not have. After the fall, Arthur and Jake’s relationship is different, and the two are more consciously enemies. This becomes the defining element of their relationship from then on. Laura Dunn: Reverend March's daughter. Comes with him when he comes to take over for Reverend Gordon. Falls in love with Jake and gets pregnant with his child resulting in Arthur marrying her to avert her crisis. Jake Dunn: Wheat-colored hair, triangular face, Arthur's brother. Excels at school and women. Four years younger than Arthur. Falls off the bridge in Chapter 4. Has a permanent limp after. While their mother spoils Jake compared the Arthur, Jake longs for their father Henry’s approval, something he never gets, in part because while he longs for it, he is unable to do the work or make the effort it would take to get Henry’s approval. Arthur, for his part, is well aware that Jake is their mother’s favorite, but feels powerless to change that.

Although the fall is entirely Jake’s fault, Arthur suffers immense guilt because he did not believe that Jake was really falling and not only ignored his cries for help, but when Jake finally said, “I’m going to fall” (83), Arthur says “Good” (83), which haunts him for the remainder of the novel. As the story of the Dunns unfolds, the novel also tells the story of Ian, whose life overlaps with the Dunn family when he takes a part-time job on the farm. As the novel opens, Ian is restless, dreams of leaving the small town of Struan, and is obsessed with Laura Dunn. Eventually, he becomes less sure of what he wants to do, less sure he wants to escape Struan, and less obsessed with Laura Dunn. A George III Act to Enlarge the Powers of, and to Render more effectual, the several Acts for Paving, Cleaning, Lighting and Otherwise Regulating the Squares, Streets and Other Places within the City and Liberty of Westminster; and for Extending the Provisions of the Said Acts to the Surrey Side of Westminster Bridge. Arthur throws Jake from the house and forces him into his car, seriously beating Jake in the process. The final cruelty comes when Jake accidentally runs over his own son with his car, killing him. As with her first novel, Crow Lake, the setting is Northern Ontario. It is the mid 1930s and Arthur and Jake, the sons of a farmer vie for the affections of Laura, a newcomer to the community. A generation later, Ian the son of the local doctor becomes obsessed with Arthur's wife...Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson". Archived from the original on 2012-04-21 . Retrieved 2012-06-18. Odd-numbered chapters are told from the point-of-view of Ian Christopherson, the son of a doctor who takes a job on Arthur Dunn’s farm, chiefly to be near Laura Dunn. Even-numbered chapters follow Arthur Dunn. The older of the two Dunn brothers, Arthur is repeatedly portrayed as a large, lumbering, slow-thinking man happiest plowing the fields of his farm near the fictional town of Struan, in Northern Canada. This was my first Mary Lawson, bought on spec. Turns out she’s quite a price winner, twice being long-listed for the Booker. I thought this novel was amazing. The action happens at two time periods and the past catches up with the present. We follow the destinies of two brothers on a northern Ontario farm, who are as different as night and day.

Fulford, Robert. "Author uncovers a remote possibility: Lawson Reinvents rural literature for a new century." National Post 13 Feb. 2007: Print] EA, 28x30 cm, 163 S., OKLdr. m. OU., sehr gut erhalten Sprache: Englisch. Aufgrund der EPR-Regelung kann in folgende Länder KEIN Versand mehr erfolgen: Bulgarien, Frankreich, Griechenland, Luxemburg, Österreich, Polen, Rumänien, Schweden, Slowakei, Spanien. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Evokes beautifully the big joys and sorrows of most people, no matter how small their town' The Times Read more Details Softcover. First Edition; Second Printing. Very Good+ in wraps. Creasing on front and rear gutter, front and rear panel bottom corners, and front panel side edge. Small open tear on spine heel. ; Author inscription on FEP. ; Signed by Author.