https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Bridge-Rick-Sanders-ebook/dp/B01E1RVI6W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475180888&sr=8-2&keywords=the+walking+bridge
Let me preface this by telling you that this is the first book I have actually read since before my children were born and that was in 2009. I ingest books in audio format almost exclusively because I can still vaccuum or cook or clean the toilet while I do. I was expecting it to be a struggle to actually read, because I have such a hard time sitting still, but The Walking Bridge by Rick Sanders drew my right in and I found myself hating to let it go to do the things I had to do. Good job, Rick, now I know I can still read.
The Walking Bridge is a mystery that takes place on and around the Walking Bridge in Chattanooga, TN. The bridge itself takes on a personality and has a role to play in the unfolding of events. The descriptions of art throughout Chattanooga and well as the amazing descriptives of the area were delicately wrought and I so often felt that I could see very clearly the locale Sanders describes. The author's intelligence and thoughtfullness comes through in his work and he touches on a variety of thought provoking concepts as the story unfolds around the disappearance of local business man Brad Compton.
The players include a wife, Cat, a homeless man named Kevin who was perhaps the most intriqueing character in the book for me, with his education and his chosen life as a "hobo", and Brad's Doppelganger Trevor. There is a kidnapping and a lost girl and child rescued from a roadside accident. There are storms that threaten the fabric of the bridge and both the north and south sides of it. There are scenes that made me feel uncomfortablt and more than once I wanted to tell a character "Don't do it. Don't go there. Stop!" That is a testament to Sanders' skill as a writer. It is a complex and intricate weave that left me guessing from one chapter to the next as his characters twined amongst the beautiful backdrop of Chattonooga and the surrounding area. I was intriqued with Sanders' ability to keep me off-footed as to the motives and circumstances that brought his cahracters into each others lives. I wanted to understand. I wanted to hear the rest of their stories, how they came to this point, and Sanders did not disappoint.
In all of my own writing I delve into the human condition and Sanders does as well in this complex and intricate work. I will recommend this book, first of all to my brother, Terry Leon, who thinks as much as he lives and will really enjoy some of the existential conversations that take place. I am sure, that like me, he will very much enjoy the artists' eye in this work.
I will leave with this, perhaps my favorite line in the whole book "The walking bridge hung high and dry above the Tennessee River, lacing the north and south shores together like a loose stitch over a wound that would not heal." It is the opening line of the book and the rest does not disappoint. Sanders, Rick (2016-04-08). The Walking Bridge (Kindle Locations 44-45). thewordverve inc. Kindle Edition.