Bridge to a Distant Star

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Bridge to a Distant Star David C. Cook; New edition (June 1, 2011)
by
Carolyn Williford


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carolyn Williford has authored seven books, including Jordan's Bend, Devotions for Families That Can't Sit Still, and Faith Tango, as well as numerous articles. She and her husband, Craig, live in Deerfield, Illinois, where he serves as president of Trinity International University. They have two children and four grandchildren.


ABOUT THE BOOK

It All Comes Tumbling Down

As a storm rages in the night, unwary drivers venture onto Tampa Bay’s most renowned bridge. No one sees the danger ahead. No one notices the jagged gap hidden by the darkness and rain. Yet when the bridge collapses vehicles careen into the churning waters of the bay below.

In that one catastrophic moment, three powerful stories converge: a family ravaged by their child’s heartbreaking news, a marriage threatened by its own facade, and a college student burdened by self doubt. As each story unfolds, the characters move steadily closer to that fateful moment on the bridge. And while each character searches for grace, the storms in their lives loom as large as the storm that awaits them above the bay.

When these characters intersect in Carolyn Williford’s gripping and moving volume of three novellas, they also collide with the transforming truth of Christ: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Bridge to a Distant Star, go HERE.


MY THOUGHTS:
This is an intense and gripping book. In fact, I was a bit exhausted emotionally reading it and a bit unsettled. Since the novel opens with a storm and the collapse of Tampa Bay's Sunshine Skyway Bridge, it was a foregone conclusion as I read the story of each of the families that one or more of their members would be on that bridge. I just didn't know which ones or what the outcome would be. Each family's tale is told separately, and Carolyn Williford did a masterful job of drawing the reader into each story so that I wanted to crawl into the pages of the book to stop the characters when they set off on that fateful trip. How she ties the families' stories together and the miraculous conclusion will stun you. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending--not so much what happened but the timing. To avoid a spoiler, I will just say that I would have preferred that it occur six months to a year after the bridge collapse instead of hours. I felt some leaps were made by the characters in emotions and thought processes that were just too quick and unrealistic, miracles notwithstanding. As amazing and miraculous as the outcome and the weaving together of the families' lives are, I don't think those would negate the heart-wrenching grief experienced by those left behind. Compelling and though-provoking, this is definitely not a light-hearted beach read!