Crossing the Bridge

There are few things better than discovering a new author whose writing you fall immediately in love with. And that's just what's happened with Michael Baron and Crossing the Bridge!

Ever since the death of his younger brother 10 years earlier, Hugh Penders has felt his presence acts as a painful reminder of what was lost, and has kept his distance from his parents as a result. But when his father suffers a heart attack, Hugh picks up his life and heads home to small town Amber, Connecticut to help his parents out during this time of need. What begins as a dull and tedious existence, becomes a fresh start at life with the help of some new (and old) friends that Hugh discovers as he re-acquaints himself with his hometown.

I can't think of a better way to describe Crossing the Bridge than it felt like 'going home'. I grew up in a small town, so reading Hugh's reactions to returning to Amber felt familiar and comfortable. All of the characters in Crossing the Bridge feel very real - like people you know in everyday life as opposed to characters created for a story. I was very sad to have to say goodbye to them at the end of the book. So much so that I've been dreaming of a sequel. Even though you can kind of see where the story is going from fairly early on, I still found I couldn't put the book down as I was eager to see the next interaction between these characters, and I was never really sure things would turn out the way I hoped.

Crossing the Bridge isn't a fast-paced read, but its tale about real people with real issues unfurls slowly and wraps you up in its cozy story. I will definitely be checking out more of Michael Baron's books!