AN INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE

AN INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE
A Book Review of Henning Mankell’s A Bridge to the Stars
By Jezel Christine Nolasco Quevada
IV – Madame Marie Curie

Living in this ephemeral world is never that easy. It entails a lot of mysteries that you alone must unravel as you traverse the trails of life. Sometimes, unlocking the myteries may take longer than usual. At times, one will discover that the keys to solve those mysteries are forever hidden. Though this maybe the case, one should not lose hope for a great reward may comes after. It may surprise him to find out that the fruit of that incident is one that is far better, one that is unimaginable, and one that could impact a great deal of his life.

A Bridge to the Stars is an incredible mystery of how an 11-year-old lad, left by his own mother, found a very special discovery that made a great change not only in his life and but also the life of his father. It is a very interesting fictional tale about dreams, hopes, and disappointments. Written by Henning Mankell, this brilliant novel is an amazing story that would definitely take you to a journey in a different world.

Published in 2005 by the Delacorte Press, A Bridge to the Stars is one of Mankell’s remarkable masterpieces. Having been known to be an author of children’s books, crime-based stories and detective novels, Mankell has written other books such as Pyramiden, Innan frosten, Kinesen, Secrets in the Fire, and A Journey to the End of the World. This Swedish writer has been receiving numerous awards because of his writing prowess. Such awards are Swedish Crime Writers' Academy, Best Swedish Crime Novel Award for Faceless Killers; The Nils Holgersson Prize: A Bridge to the Stars; The Glass Key Award For Best Nordic Crime Novel: Faceless Killers; Swedish Crime Writers' Academy, Best Swedish Crime Novel Award for Sidetracked; Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the Year: Sidetracked; and Gumshoe Award for Best European Crime Novel: The Return of the Dancing Master.

The novel traces the adventures that an 11-year-old Joel Gustafson underwent. It all started with a dog during the cold winter of 1956. If he had not seen this mysterious animal one night, nothing might have happened. This boy, living with his lumberjack father, Samuel, finds two things hard for him to cope up with: not knowing why and not being able to do anything about it. His father rears him in a small town in cold northern Sweden. This father of his is once a sailor, who lived by the sea. But because of an unknown reason to Joel, his father has long abandoned the sea. Another problem that his father faces is the desertion they got when his mother left. Samuel would often sit in the cleft in the rock and would wonder about that. He always starts by thinking about what is least difficult to face up to – the sea.

Joel would often question his father about his mother, Jenny. He always asks Samuel why his mother had abandoned them. However, frequently left moody, Samuel would just refuse to talk about it and stop Joel from questioning him.

While looking out his window one late night, Joel sees a lonely dog on the street. Then, the days come that he would always spot this mysterious elkhound. Because of this child’s curiosity and compassion for the lonely dog, he begins to sneak out night after night trying to find where it is. During these nocturnal outings, Joel discovers aspects of life he has never imagined. He then finds out that the dog he was searching for was headed for a star and was staying beside a bridge. On that same bridge across the icy river, he starts a secret society and adventures.

Along with the spearheading of a society, Joel meets a new boy, Tomas, whose daring ideas both fascinate and repel him. And then one night he discovers that his father’s bed, too, is empty. He investigates his father’s strange absences and learns he is having a growing relationship with a girl in their town. Now, as his father keeps company with their small town's barmaid, Joel grows increasingly concerned that he is about to be abandoned for a second time. Joel’s secret world is brought flamboyantly to life in this mystical tale leaving the readers enthralled. The way the author probes into the psyche and emotions of his protagonist is awesome.

With the writer’s good style of writing, the tale appeared to be so interesting and appealing that the message it wants to convey is relayed to its audience very well. A Bridge to the Stars is a story that displays an emotional depth within its characters. It is a very effective portrayal of a boy on the verge of his adolescence. This tale is better improved not only by Mankell’s lyrical writing but also by the array of memorable and eccentric characters that populate Joel's town and the symbolisms that can be found in the story. An example of which is the bridge that paved the way for Joel to discover his inner strength. Another is the dog that Joel constantly saw during the evening. It helped Joel hope for his future and continue to seek discoveries.

This slightly off-beat story is very ideal for its readers, especially children. Here, Joel exhibits a kind of imagination that many children will find familiar and easy to relate with. Not only that, his search says some touching things which are vital in growing up. During his night-time adventures, he explains the qualities that make up for a civilized human being. He did not fail to see the humanity that his odd and outcast neighbors possess. And most of all, he come to terms with his father’s new found love after discovering his father’s bed empty at night.

A Bridge to the Stars reveals to its readers how harsh life can sometimes be. In spite of that, it teaches us how to remain hopeful about things. Also, it tells us that yes, there are many things that we do not understand in life but all of those happened because of a very good reason. We may not understand those reasons for the time being but for sure, something good is bound to happen in replacement of that. This tale also imparts that we must learn how to discover things for ourselves and soon, we will be surprised to realize that there are things in life we never imagined. Lastly, this wonderful story conveys to the readers that though one’s family is not complete, maybe a father-figure or a mother-figure is absent, still, it can be complete and the child could still feel the affection he needs.