The Bridge: A Short Story

by Daniel Orozco

A young bridge painter is awakened from the hum of daily routine by a face-to-face encounter with a woman in free fall."The Bridge" is a story from Daniel Orozco's critically acclaimed collection Orientation, which leads the reader through the hidden lives and moral philosophies of bridge painters, men housebound by obesity, office temps, and warehouse workers. He reveals the secret pleasures of late-night supermarket trips for cookie binges, exceptional data entry, and an exiled dictator's occasional piss on the U.S. embassy. A love affair blooms between two officers in the impartially worded pages of a police blotter; a new employee's first-day office tour includes descriptions of other workers' most private thoughts and actions; during an earthquake, the consciousness of the entire state of California shakes free for examination. Orientation introduces a writer at the height of his powers, whose work surely invites us to reassess the landscape of American fiction.

10 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2011

About the author

Daniel Orozco's stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories, Best American Mystery Stories, Best American Essays, and the Pushcart Prize Anthology, as well as in publications such as Harpers Magazine, Zoetrope: All-Story, McSweeneys, Ecotone, and Story Quarterly. He was awarded a 2006 NEA fellowship in fiction, and was a finalist for a 2006 National Magazine Award in fiction. A former Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford, he teaches creative writing at the University of Idaho.

Reviews

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Day on the Bridge

Daniel Orozco has made four stories from his "Orientation" collection available on Amazon as Kindlefreebie downloads. One story follows the mental collapse of a temp worker who can't help the people who call her on a help line. One follows a budding love affair between two police officers, as recorded in their police reports. One consists of a new employee orientation session that goes hilariously off the rails. All three are worth seeking out and downloading.

SPOILER. In this tale, we observe a young man who comes face to face, literally and figuratively, with his own mortality. A newbie bridge painter, trained and constantly reminded to avoid falling, stares into the face of a falling jumper as she hurtles past him. Orozco recreates that instant with force and elegance. He suggests the effect of that instant on our hero with subtlety and restraint.

While some of the stories in "Orientation" are boisterous or whimsical or melancholy, this one is restrained, limited and almost painfully spare. It is efficient, tight, thoughtful and sympathetic. Orozco is kind to his hero and gentle in the face of tragedy.

So, if you are in the mood for playful, insightful, generous and literate "writing!!", well these little samplers struck me as an excellent choice.

(Please note that I found this book a while ago while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Janejellyroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a capably written short story.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was sure what I was going to be reading about but decided I would give this short story a chance. I don't think I have ever thought about what you might see as a bridge worker but my opinion on what I thought you might see on a typical day has changed. There were many different aspects to the story that I could actually relate to. Its ironic in the beginning that the main character is the youngest and is given the name "Baby" and even he thinks of himself that way...in the end he no longer wants the name because he is experienced in a way now that most people aren't and by having that experience he is no longer a "baby ".

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖊 My review: Hilarious and entertaining, this fun short story kept my interest and was thoroughly good, and I enjoyed it a lot.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🟣 Media form: Kindle version.
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[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get it