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The Bridge
Two teenagers, strangers to each other, have decided to jump from the same bridge at the same time. But what results is far from straightforward in this absorbing, honest lifesaver from acclaimed author Bill Konigsberg.
Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is -- only that she will never be good enough.
On the bridge, there are four things that could
Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't.
Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't.
They both jump.
Neither of them jumps.
Or maybe all four things happen, in this astonishing and insightful novel from Bill Konigsberg.
Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is -- only that she will never be good enough.
On the bridge, there are four things that could
Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't.
Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't.
They both jump.
Neither of them jumps.
Or maybe all four things happen, in this astonishing and insightful novel from Bill Konigsberg.
395 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2020
196 people are currently reading
8067 people want to read
About the author
Bill Konigsberg
10 books2,045 followersBill Konigsberg was born in 1970 in New York City. Expectations were high from birth - at least in terms of athletics. His parents figured he'd be a great soccer player, based on his spirited kicking from inside the womb. As it turned out, the highlight of his soccer career was at Camp Greylock in 1978, when he was chosen for the Camp's "D" team. There were only four levels. Bill played alongside the likes of the kid who always showered alone, the chronic nosebleeder and the guy with recurrent poison ivy.
Early in his life, Bill decided he wanted to be a disc jockey, a professional baseball player, or the Construction Worker from The Village People. None of these career paths worked out for him. Yet. He still holds out hope for a Village People revival and has set up a Google Alert in case it happens.
A B- student throughout high school, Bill was voted Most Likely to Avoid Doing Any Real Work In His Life by a panel of his dismissive peers. He proved them wrong with a series of strange-but-true jobs in his 20s - driver recruiter for a truck driving school, sales consultant for a phone company, and temp at Otis Elevators.
He moved to Denver in 1996 and was voted Least Stylish Gay Guy in the Metro Denver Area (including Loveland!) for each of the years from 1996-98. His fashion-free wardrobe robbed him of prospective dates countless times, as did his penchant for wearing a mustache that didn't suit him.
He worked at ESPN and ESPN.com from 1999-2002, where he developed a penchant for sharing too much information about himself. That character flaw earned him a GLAAD Media Award in 2002, for his column "Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays." That coming out essay made him a household name to tens of people across the country.
He continued oversharing in graduate school at Arizona State, where he added People Pleasing to his growing list of character defects and parlayed that into the title of Most Chill Teacher of freshman composition.
As a sports writer and editor for The Associated Press in New York from 2005-08, Bill once called his husband, who was at the time working a desk job, from the New York Mets dugout before a game. "I'm so bored," Bill whined. He slept on the couch for a week after making that call.
He wrote a novel called Audibles at Arizona State, and sold that novel to Dutton Books for Children in 2007. His editor asked him to change the title so that it would appeal to people other than "football players who read." The resulting novel, Out of the Pocket, received strong reviews from his mother, father, significant other and one girl who had a crush on him in high school. It won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009.
His second novel, Openly Straight, hit the bookshelves in late May of 2013. He describes the novel as "Twilight-like, only without vampires and wolves and angsty teenage girls. Also, set in an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts. Otherwise, it's like an exact replica."
His third novel, The Porcupine of Truth, was released in May of 2015. He chose to put a porcupine in the title because this is America, and no one here knows what a platypus is. The novel won the Stonewall Book Award and PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Next came Honestly Ben, a companion book to Openly Straight. He wrote it so people would stop yelling at him about Openly Straight's ending. Honestly Ben received three starred reviews and made lots of people swoon over Ben some more, which irks Bill to no end as Ben is loosely based on his husband, Chuck. No one seems to swoon over Rafe, who is loosely based on Bill. Harrumph, says Bill.
The Music of What Happens arrives in February of 2019, and it's a romance between two boys, and it includes a food truck that makes cloud eggs. Bill has an egg phobia.
Bill currently lives in Chandler, Arizona, which is the thinking man's Gilbert, Arizona. He has a husband who is clearly too good for him, and two cute dogs, Mabel and Buford, who complete him.
His bl
Early in his life, Bill decided he wanted to be a disc jockey, a professional baseball player, or the Construction Worker from The Village People. None of these career paths worked out for him. Yet. He still holds out hope for a Village People revival and has set up a Google Alert in case it happens.
A B- student throughout high school, Bill was voted Most Likely to Avoid Doing Any Real Work In His Life by a panel of his dismissive peers. He proved them wrong with a series of strange-but-true jobs in his 20s - driver recruiter for a truck driving school, sales consultant for a phone company, and temp at Otis Elevators.
He moved to Denver in 1996 and was voted Least Stylish Gay Guy in the Metro Denver Area (including Loveland!) for each of the years from 1996-98. His fashion-free wardrobe robbed him of prospective dates countless times, as did his penchant for wearing a mustache that didn't suit him.
He worked at ESPN and ESPN.com from 1999-2002, where he developed a penchant for sharing too much information about himself. That character flaw earned him a GLAAD Media Award in 2002, for his column "Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays." That coming out essay made him a household name to tens of people across the country.
He continued oversharing in graduate school at Arizona State, where he added People Pleasing to his growing list of character defects and parlayed that into the title of Most Chill Teacher of freshman composition.
As a sports writer and editor for The Associated Press in New York from 2005-08, Bill once called his husband, who was at the time working a desk job, from the New York Mets dugout before a game. "I'm so bored," Bill whined. He slept on the couch for a week after making that call.
He wrote a novel called Audibles at Arizona State, and sold that novel to Dutton Books for Children in 2007. His editor asked him to change the title so that it would appeal to people other than "football players who read." The resulting novel, Out of the Pocket, received strong reviews from his mother, father, significant other and one girl who had a crush on him in high school. It won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009.
His second novel, Openly Straight, hit the bookshelves in late May of 2013. He describes the novel as "Twilight-like, only without vampires and wolves and angsty teenage girls. Also, set in an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts. Otherwise, it's like an exact replica."
His third novel, The Porcupine of Truth, was released in May of 2015. He chose to put a porcupine in the title because this is America, and no one here knows what a platypus is. The novel won the Stonewall Book Award and PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Next came Honestly Ben, a companion book to Openly Straight. He wrote it so people would stop yelling at him about Openly Straight's ending. Honestly Ben received three starred reviews and made lots of people swoon over Ben some more, which irks Bill to no end as Ben is loosely based on his husband, Chuck. No one seems to swoon over Rafe, who is loosely based on Bill. Harrumph, says Bill.
The Music of What Happens arrives in February of 2019, and it's a romance between two boys, and it includes a food truck that makes cloud eggs. Bill has an egg phobia.
Bill currently lives in Chandler, Arizona, which is the thinking man's Gilbert, Arizona. He has a husband who is clearly too good for him, and two cute dogs, Mabel and Buford, who complete him.
His bl
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 562 reviews
August 28, 2020
Oh, this book.
THE BRIDGE took me two years to write, and they were hard years! I truly believe I was at the edge of my ability the whole time, doing things that were quite possibly beyond me.
And I loved the process! Except when I hated the process. :-)
My hope was to write a book about suicide and depression that was so real you could feel it in your bones, but that also felt hopeful, that left the reader with a sense that there was hope, because to me that's everything..I wanted to do that by telling the same story four ways. So that readers could see the impact of the choices these two teens make on top of the bridge. So often when I've been depressed, I've had the thought that no one would care if I were dead or alive.
That's a lie. Depression makes our brains lie to us. I wanted to reveal that lie in all its power and complexity, and show what can happen when we decide to stay another day.
In the end, I cannot say whether I succeeded or failed. That's up to readers. But please know that I put my whole heart in this book. I hope that one person with suicidal ideation or severe depression will read this book and decide to stay.
THE BRIDGE took me two years to write, and they were hard years! I truly believe I was at the edge of my ability the whole time, doing things that were quite possibly beyond me.
And I loved the process! Except when I hated the process. :-)
My hope was to write a book about suicide and depression that was so real you could feel it in your bones, but that also felt hopeful, that left the reader with a sense that there was hope, because to me that's everything..I wanted to do that by telling the same story four ways. So that readers could see the impact of the choices these two teens make on top of the bridge. So often when I've been depressed, I've had the thought that no one would care if I were dead or alive.
That's a lie. Depression makes our brains lie to us. I wanted to reveal that lie in all its power and complexity, and show what can happen when we decide to stay another day.
In the end, I cannot say whether I succeeded or failed. That's up to readers. But please know that I put my whole heart in this book. I hope that one person with suicidal ideation or severe depression will read this book and decide to stay.
May 26, 2024
This was such an amazing story, complex, emotional and very thought provoking. The concept of the book was fantastic. I loved how the author handled the subject matter and I loved the overall message of this story, including the author's note at the end of the book.
I'm keeping this review short because there's not much I can say without spoiling anything. I feel the blurb gives just the right amount of information.
I started off listening to this on audio, but I switched to ebook at around 20%. There's something about the narrator's voice that annoyed me, especially when she was singing.
I'm keeping this review short because there's not much I can say without spoiling anything. I feel the blurb gives just the right amount of information.
I started off listening to this on audio, but I switched to ebook at around 20%. There's something about the narrator's voice that annoyed me, especially when she was singing.
April 1, 2021
5 easy stars!
How interesting for me! Solely because of publication dates of my Net Galley ARCs and what reached the top in my Libby queue, three out of the last four books I’ve read center on suicide. And how very different they are all. I thought one (Together We Will Go) of the first two I read could possibly contend for my book of the year, but this one, The Bridge, is even better.
Write what you know, right? Bill Konigsberg is a gay man who attempted suicide when he was young. Aaron, one of our two protagonists is a gay high schooler with suicide on his mind. Tillie, a straight 17-year-old (that Aaron does not know) also has suicide on the mind—at the same time Aaron does. The two see each other for the first time on the George Washington Bridge. They are both there to jump.
The Bridge is brilliantly written. Mr. Konigsberg has divided the book into four parts, each exploring the ramifications of Aaron’s and Tillie’s choices. In Part 1, Tillie jumps, but Aaron doesn’t. In Part 2, it’s only Aaron that goes off the bridge. Part 3 is a very interesting look into the near and distant future after both Aaron and Tillie leap. My favorite is Part 4 where both decide to live.
Mr. Konigsberg has a real gift with the pen. His characters are real, very real; the author nails them. The dialogue, whether in person or in text, is spot-on believable. The context of his writing is rich, emotional, and thought-provoking. The story takes place in New York City, and the imagery and sense of place is strong. I found it really hard to put this one down—I was totally engrossed the entire way.
It took Mr. Konigsberg over two years to write The Bridge. He wrote it with the hope that he could reach out and connect to those with depression or the desire to leave this world. By writing the story four ways he strives to point out the impact of their choices, to help them understand they do matter, and ultimately to give them hope and therefore life.
This book is a real winner that I strongly recommend to all readers, especially those who might be struggling. I look forward to reading more from this gifted author.
Many thanks to the Libby App and the Twins Cities Metro eLibrary for lending me a copy of The Bridge.
October 4, 2020
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Bill Konigsberg's new YA novel, The Bridge , is an emotional, eye-opening look at teenagers, depression, and suicide.
Aaron can’t take it any longer. He’s tired of not feeling like he’s good enough or talented enough. He’s tired of wondering if he’ll ever find a guy to love him, tired of putting himself out there and getting little in return.
One day, he goes to the George Washington Bridge and is ready to end it all. And there he sees Tillie.
Tillie is at the end of her rope. She’s been bullied, she’s been ghosted, she’s fighting to be seen and heard and loved. She just doesn’t feel like she can go on any longer. And then she sees Aaron.
What happens if Aaron jumps?
What happens if Tillie jumps?
What if they both jump?
What if neither one jumps?
Konigsberg explores all four scenarios, the impact on those left behind (including Aaron or Tillie if they saw the other jump), the possible ways they might have touched the world had they not jumped, and the beauty and strength which comes from having the support of people who get you. He recognizes, however, that’s not all we need to help us.
This was a beautiful, moving book which hit me in the feels, reminding me of my own struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. The unique 4-scenarios-in-1 concept mostly works, and it really looks at the big and small moments of depression. Konigsberg is a terrific writer; I've enjoyed his previous books, particularly The Music of What Happens .
He has written an important, gorgeous book that will make you feel and think, but it's not so heavy or maudlin that you'll feel utterly finished afterward.
If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, in the US you can call 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-SUICIDE.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Bill Konigsberg's new YA novel, The Bridge , is an emotional, eye-opening look at teenagers, depression, and suicide.
Aaron can’t take it any longer. He’s tired of not feeling like he’s good enough or talented enough. He’s tired of wondering if he’ll ever find a guy to love him, tired of putting himself out there and getting little in return.
One day, he goes to the George Washington Bridge and is ready to end it all. And there he sees Tillie.
Tillie is at the end of her rope. She’s been bullied, she’s been ghosted, she’s fighting to be seen and heard and loved. She just doesn’t feel like she can go on any longer. And then she sees Aaron.
What happens if Aaron jumps?
What happens if Tillie jumps?
What if they both jump?
What if neither one jumps?
Konigsberg explores all four scenarios, the impact on those left behind (including Aaron or Tillie if they saw the other jump), the possible ways they might have touched the world had they not jumped, and the beauty and strength which comes from having the support of people who get you. He recognizes, however, that’s not all we need to help us.
This was a beautiful, moving book which hit me in the feels, reminding me of my own struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. The unique 4-scenarios-in-1 concept mostly works, and it really looks at the big and small moments of depression. Konigsberg is a terrific writer; I've enjoyed his previous books, particularly The Music of What Happens .
He has written an important, gorgeous book that will make you feel and think, but it's not so heavy or maudlin that you'll feel utterly finished afterward.
If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, in the US you can call 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-SUICIDE.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
August 28, 2021
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4 ½ stars
The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg took me by surprise. While I did enjoy reading two of Konigsberg's previous novels, Openly Straight and The Music of What Happens, they certainly didn't affect me as The Bridge. This is the kind of novel I wish had been around when I was sixteen and contemplating suicide.
While there are quite a few novels that expand on 'what if' scenarios, Konigsberg's diverging timelines are far from gimmicky. The first scene in The Bridge, regardless of its different outcome, plays a pivotal role in each section of the novel. Within the first pages of this novel we are transported to George Washington Bridge where two teens, Aaron and Tillie, strangers to each other, are planning to jump. In the first section, titled 'A', Tillie jumps, while a traumatised Aaron returns to his home, unable to forget what happened. As we become acquainted with Aaron, reading of his relationship to his extremely supportive father, and of the anxiety and depression that made him go on the bridge, we also read of the repercussions that Tillie's suicide has on her adoptive parents and younger sister, as well as the guilt felt by those who in their own way contributed to her decision to end her life.
In 'B' it is Aaron who jumps and Tillie who survives. Aaron's suicide destroys his father, leaving him bereft, while Tillie confronts the people who have hurt her the most—a former best friend, her ex-boyfriend, and her emotionally distant father. In 'C' they both die, and Konigsberg doesn't repeat himself, offering his readers instead with just how everlasting is the grief and guilt experienced by the relatives and loved ones of suicide victims. He goes as far as envisioning the people Aaron and Tillie would have met, loved and helped, had they stayed alive.
'C', which for obvious reasons was my favourite, depicts a world in which they don't jump, forming an unlikely bond, and finding comfort in each other's despair.
I can't stress enough how well-written and structured this novel is. However heartbreaking the various narratives were, I loved reading them. Konigsberg injects plenty of humour in his novel, alleviating somber scenes without making light of any of the subjects he writes of. Trough his portrayal of mental health Konigsberg demonstrates extreme empathy and sensitivity, never offering one-sided arguments or easy definitions. Both his adult and his teen characters are given their own distinctive voices, and regardless of what they say or do, they aren't demonised or easily labelled as 'bad'. Some of the parents in this novel are terrible. They are extremely unsupportive or blind to the pain their actions or words cause to their children. Our protagonists too are more than capable of making mistakes and or of jumping to conclusions.
Konigsberg is particularly perceptive when it comes to the effect that offhanded remarks can have on vulnerable young people. He doesn't offer magical cures for Aaron and Tillie's depression, and in the narratives where they do not jump, their lives aren't depression or suicidal-thought free.
Konigsberg dialogues and his characters felt strikingly real. While each narrative navigates painful realities, The Bridge doesn't succumb to the dark thoughts or difficult circumstances of its characters. Aaron's relationship with his father and the bond between him and Tillie truly made the novel.
Unlike the other books I've read by this author The Bridge is a novel that will stay with me (as clichéd as that may sound) and I can't wait to re-read this. If you are looking for a piercing and emotional YA contemporary read, look no further.
4 ½ stars
The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg took me by surprise. While I did enjoy reading two of Konigsberg's previous novels, Openly Straight and The Music of What Happens, they certainly didn't affect me as The Bridge. This is the kind of novel I wish had been around when I was sixteen and contemplating suicide.
While there are quite a few novels that expand on 'what if' scenarios, Konigsberg's diverging timelines are far from gimmicky. The first scene in The Bridge, regardless of its different outcome, plays a pivotal role in each section of the novel. Within the first pages of this novel we are transported to George Washington Bridge where two teens, Aaron and Tillie, strangers to each other, are planning to jump. In the first section, titled 'A', Tillie jumps, while a traumatised Aaron returns to his home, unable to forget what happened. As we become acquainted with Aaron, reading of his relationship to his extremely supportive father, and of the anxiety and depression that made him go on the bridge, we also read of the repercussions that Tillie's suicide has on her adoptive parents and younger sister, as well as the guilt felt by those who in their own way contributed to her decision to end her life.
In 'B' it is Aaron who jumps and Tillie who survives. Aaron's suicide destroys his father, leaving him bereft, while Tillie confronts the people who have hurt her the most—a former best friend, her ex-boyfriend, and her emotionally distant father. In 'C' they both die, and Konigsberg doesn't repeat himself, offering his readers instead with just how everlasting is the grief and guilt experienced by the relatives and loved ones of suicide victims. He goes as far as envisioning the people Aaron and Tillie would have met, loved and helped, had they stayed alive.
'C', which for obvious reasons was my favourite, depicts a world in which they don't jump, forming an unlikely bond, and finding comfort in each other's despair.
I can't stress enough how well-written and structured this novel is. However heartbreaking the various narratives were, I loved reading them. Konigsberg injects plenty of humour in his novel, alleviating somber scenes without making light of any of the subjects he writes of. Trough his portrayal of mental health Konigsberg demonstrates extreme empathy and sensitivity, never offering one-sided arguments or easy definitions. Both his adult and his teen characters are given their own distinctive voices, and regardless of what they say or do, they aren't demonised or easily labelled as 'bad'. Some of the parents in this novel are terrible. They are extremely unsupportive or blind to the pain their actions or words cause to their children. Our protagonists too are more than capable of making mistakes and or of jumping to conclusions.
Konigsberg is particularly perceptive when it comes to the effect that offhanded remarks can have on vulnerable young people. He doesn't offer magical cures for Aaron and Tillie's depression, and in the narratives where they do not jump, their lives aren't depression or suicidal-thought free.
Konigsberg dialogues and his characters felt strikingly real. While each narrative navigates painful realities, The Bridge doesn't succumb to the dark thoughts or difficult circumstances of its characters. Aaron's relationship with his father and the bond between him and Tillie truly made the novel.
Unlike the other books I've read by this author The Bridge is a novel that will stay with me (as clichéd as that may sound) and I can't wait to re-read this. If you are looking for a piercing and emotional YA contemporary read, look no further.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2020
This book is extraordinarily difficult for me to rate and review. Most of the time I really liked it so it’s 4 stars from me.
There are 4 sections/alternative stories. In the first Tillie commits suicide, in the second Aaron commits suicide, in the third they both do, and in the fourth neither do. My favorite section was the last, though at a few times I got bored because by then there was some repetition. The third part was my least favorite, partly because part of it became speculative fiction though going so far into the future was interesting.
I read the author’s intent in his note at the end and it’s good but the fact is some kids don’t have anyone who care about them. I do think that many young people might find this book helpful but as I read I often thought Trigger, trigger, trigger, trigger… I struggled with parts of it wondering how it might affect other readers of different ages.
It is very much aimed toward today’s teens. Maybe that will work. Maybe it will work for reluctant readers, of all genders. The portions in different font used for writings including songs are so faint on the page I literally could not decipher them. I simultaneously read the hardcover and the Hoopla audio book and only from the audio edition could I hear the diary type entries and the sung songs. Otherwise, I’d have probably preferred reading only the paper edition.
This is a well-meaning book. I liked the characters. I grew fond of Tillie and of Aaron and some of the people in their lives. I thought it was helpful to witness the depression and in some ways even more the mania. It’s a great depiction of both and I think mania is written about less than depression in these sorts of books. It’s a great friendship book, really wonderful. I’m not sure about recommending this book to teens struggling with severe affective disorders, unless they have support in place, but I can recommend it to kids struggling with issues around their sexuality, kids who feel like oddballs, readers looking for a good story about bullying, and for anyone looking for a fine friendship story even though it takes a while to get there. It's also a wonderful NYC book.
There are 4 sections/alternative stories. In the first Tillie commits suicide, in the second Aaron commits suicide, in the third they both do, and in the fourth neither do. My favorite section was the last, though at a few times I got bored because by then there was some repetition. The third part was my least favorite, partly because part of it became speculative fiction though going so far into the future was interesting.
I read the author’s intent in his note at the end and it’s good but the fact is some kids don’t have anyone who care about them. I do think that many young people might find this book helpful but as I read I often thought Trigger, trigger, trigger, trigger… I struggled with parts of it wondering how it might affect other readers of different ages.
It is very much aimed toward today’s teens. Maybe that will work. Maybe it will work for reluctant readers, of all genders. The portions in different font used for writings including songs are so faint on the page I literally could not decipher them. I simultaneously read the hardcover and the Hoopla audio book and only from the audio edition could I hear the diary type entries and the sung songs. Otherwise, I’d have probably preferred reading only the paper edition.
This is a well-meaning book. I liked the characters. I grew fond of Tillie and of Aaron and some of the people in their lives. I thought it was helpful to witness the depression and in some ways even more the mania. It’s a great depiction of both and I think mania is written about less than depression in these sorts of books. It’s a great friendship book, really wonderful. I’m not sure about recommending this book to teens struggling with severe affective disorders, unless they have support in place, but I can recommend it to kids struggling with issues around their sexuality, kids who feel like oddballs, readers looking for a good story about bullying, and for anyone looking for a fine friendship story even though it takes a while to get there. It's also a wonderful NYC book.
April 21, 2021
This book felt like a punch in the gut because it felt very personal to me. It not only describes the feelings of Tilly and Aaron but also of their parents, their friends. If you’ve been there once, having family or a friend who tried or actually committed suicide then this is a story you should read.
So, The bridge. When I read the foreword, a letter from Bill Konigsberg, I immediately cried. I knew it would be hard to read the story. But I’m so glad I did. Because this is not only a story about suicide but also about hope. It hurts me tremendously that teens die this way. But luckily more think about doing it and don’t in the end. And although they were so sad, depressed or hurt at that time and maybe sometimes still are, they want to be alive.
The four different stories give inside what would happen with people if Tilly and/or Aaron jumped or not. It didn’t feel weird to read the same story four times because it were just the same people with different stories and a different outcome. The way Bill Konigsberg wrote this story amazed me because he writes so clearly what it does to people when they don't take that step and what it does to their family and friends if they do or don’t. The four stories each had their own tone and are not repetitive. This is what makes the book so good.
This book is way different from other books Bill Konigsberg wrote, it’s important and powerful and he really succeeded in showing what depression can do to people and what happens when they seek help, tell their story and feel hope again.
I received an ARC from Scholastic and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
So, The bridge. When I read the foreword, a letter from Bill Konigsberg, I immediately cried. I knew it would be hard to read the story. But I’m so glad I did. Because this is not only a story about suicide but also about hope. It hurts me tremendously that teens die this way. But luckily more think about doing it and don’t in the end. And although they were so sad, depressed or hurt at that time and maybe sometimes still are, they want to be alive.
The four different stories give inside what would happen with people if Tilly and/or Aaron jumped or not. It didn’t feel weird to read the same story four times because it were just the same people with different stories and a different outcome. The way Bill Konigsberg wrote this story amazed me because he writes so clearly what it does to people when they don't take that step and what it does to their family and friends if they do or don’t. The four stories each had their own tone and are not repetitive. This is what makes the book so good.
This book is way different from other books Bill Konigsberg wrote, it’s important and powerful and he really succeeded in showing what depression can do to people and what happens when they seek help, tell their story and feel hope again.
I received an ARC from Scholastic and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
March 10, 2021
Aaron and Tillie are two strangers who decide to both jump off the George Washington Bridge. There’s four parts to the book, one we’re Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn’t, Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn’t, both of them jump, and then neither of them jump.
The mental health and suicide rep was done very well. It felt pretty accurate. Other themes are tackled such as sexuality, parental neglect and adoption, bullying, and the general feeling of being alone and that no one cares for you. I really do love what Konisberg did with this book. It shows how actions of others can affect you, even years later. It’s heart breaking and really makes you think. I shed a few tears and I sincerely hope the real version of what actually happens is that Aaron and Tillie both do not jump.
There were only two things I didn’t like about this book. The pop culture references were so cringey, Sarah J Maas was brought up 2-3 times and I couldn’t really take it seriously. The other thing was that this was a little too long and even though it tells four different stories, a lot of it could have been shaved off.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by my queen Marin Ireland but she sang out some of the songs in the books and I.. I hope narrators don’t do that anymore. Thank you so much to Edelweiss for the advanced copy of this book even though it came out in 2020. Oops.
The mental health and suicide rep was done very well. It felt pretty accurate. Other themes are tackled such as sexuality, parental neglect and adoption, bullying, and the general feeling of being alone and that no one cares for you. I really do love what Konisberg did with this book. It shows how actions of others can affect you, even years later. It’s heart breaking and really makes you think. I shed a few tears and I sincerely hope the real version of what actually happens is that Aaron and Tillie both do not jump.
There were only two things I didn’t like about this book. The pop culture references were so cringey, Sarah J Maas was brought up 2-3 times and I couldn’t really take it seriously. The other thing was that this was a little too long and even though it tells four different stories, a lot of it could have been shaved off.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by my queen Marin Ireland but she sang out some of the songs in the books and I.. I hope narrators don’t do that anymore. Thank you so much to Edelweiss for the advanced copy of this book even though it came out in 2020. Oops.
November 29, 2020
If you’re looking for a YA novel which explores suicide and its aftermath, by all means pick this over 13 Reasons Why. Konigsberg has done a terrific job at not glamorizing the struggle of two unrelated teens who find themselves simultaneously on the George Washington Bridge one afternoon, contemplating taking their own lives. I don’t know when I’ve seen a more accurate portrayal of bipolar disorder emerging in adolescence.
November 12, 2020
Drawing from his own experiences with depression and attempted suicide, Konigsberg writes the story of two NYC teens, who cross paths on the George Washington Bridge where each intends to commit suicide. Aaron is a scholarship student at the Fieldston School and Tilllie is a wealthy student at the Spence School. Each has a number of problems, with parents and a lack of friends, leading to this momentous moment. There are four separate stories: one where Tillie jumps, one where Aaron jumps, one where they both jump, and one where neither jumps. Personally, I liked the versions in which Aaron survives better. The issues, with which both teenagers have to deal: rejection, bullying, sexual identities, self image are very real and adeptly handled by Konigsberg. Aaron is more of a loner, and finds that people think more of him than he does of himself. Tillie has more emotional baggage, but a poor self image aggravated by being dumped by a boyfriend. Konigsberg deals with psychology, medication, therapy and other tools in the battle to save lives. Read his afterword and resources for depression/suicide prevention. Special mention to Scholastic for publishing this book. 4.5 stars.
October 13, 2020
Two different teens- a boy and a girl, one gay, one straight, one white, one Korean- end up at the George Washington bridge at the same time to commit suicide. What follows is an exploration of possible outcomes- if she jumps but he doesn’t, if he jumps and she doesn’t, if they both do, and if neither do.
I like stories like this with alternate timelines and getting to explore different options. It works especially well with suicide- exploring and teaching a lesson of sorts without being remotely preachy. The author mostly excels with this and does an especially good job of teaching us about each character and their families and the events surrounding their despair through each storyline in a way that feels seamless and isn’t repetitive. You quickly find yourself carrying deeply for both gay only child Aaron and Korean adoptee Tillie.
Aaron is passionate about writing and singing songs and wants to be famous, in fact he’s kind of obsessed and overly preoccupied with getting others to like his music and him. He’s a bit of a loaner, a scholarship kid at a private high school, and while he’s full of passion for music, he has limited training. Tillie writes monologues with the kind of angst and earnestness only a high school girl can but when she pours out her soul, at the talent show of her private girls only high school, she is made into the butt of a cruel joke and her already absent father pulls away completely, embarrassed and angry at her for sharing what he sees as dirty laundry that should remain private. Notably both teens have a close relationship with their same sex parent while the other parent is entirely absent. I found that interesting given that I could relate to the absentee parent thing and the pain of that but not the close relationship part and I wondered what the likelihood that two kids with that much going on and that much pain would actually be so close to a parent. I’m certainly not saying that kids who are close with a parent don’t have problems and mental illness but I wondered if these were really the two kids most likely to find themselves on a bridge on the verge of suicide.
This book does so much, so well. I really loved that while Aaron is gay and openly so, and several people in the story end up asking if that’s the cause of his depression and suicidality, he states that it isn’t. In the afterwards author Bill Konigsberg discusses that queer kids are 5x more likely to attempt suicide and trans kids even more likely still, but it isn’t always queerness that’s the problem and I thought it was great to depict this. At the same time there’s a prominent secondary character, Amir, who unlike Aaron, is forced to remain closeted and worries what the guys at his all boys school will think and has been told by his mother that he would be disowned. Again we have some really great nuance since Amir is Arab and from a Muslim background but neither his mother nor he practice Islam and it isn’t the Islam that causes his mother to feel as she does. I also loved the way Amir’s character and Tillie bond over the stereotypes and racism they face and the complicated feelings Tillie has over being a Korean adoptee. Tillie’s parents end up having a baby of their own after being told they’d never be able to and again, I loved the nuance here with how deeply Tillie loves her younger sister and how close she is with her mom yet how she suspects some of her father’s issues with her have to do with the adoption and not being his biological child. These are real kids, written with real and complex issues and there’s so many different ways I think teens will relate as well as get a look through eyes of of teens with very different struggles. While every teen in the book attends private school, money is an issue in Aaron’s family too so there’s some class related diversity though I do think it’s a shame these are all very wealthy, financially privileged kids. Can’t fault that much though when there’s such a great depiction of diversity in many other regards.
There is one flaw that really bummed me out and lower my rating- it’s the poorly handled section where both kids jump. It feels a bit long yet also lacking and I don’t know that much could’ve been differently since it comes after the chapters looking at it one kid or the other does so we already see how their families and friends grieve but where Konigsberg does go felt very contrived. In addition to seeing how Tillie’s sister misses Tillie at future milestones, how Aaron’s single father copes with being even more alone, how the families generally go on in the far off future- we also are given glimpses of random strangers who we are to believe were the guys both Tillie and Aaron would’ve ended up marrying and that feels... just too much. There’s also some bizarre takes on ways the teens may have left their mark on the world- a chapter relating to one of Aaron’s song but since he died it never exists and a lonely teen needed it. Or far worse but this also is a major issue to the previous chapter- Konigsberg goes way overboard in imagining how different the future in 20-some years will be- we see a girl entering the last remaining library (most people use the WWB-World Wide Bibliotech. Yikes. Just no...) and she’s looking for a book on weight related online bullying that doesn’t exist because Tillie never wrote it. Contrived but also wow. The strange details tossed into these chapters about the future were jarring and odd and wholly unnecessary. This section really falters while the other three soar.
Thankfully the problematic section is the quickest to get through- and in being so quick and jarring really lacks the emotional impact- but the rest of the book is five star worthy. There’s so much emotion all around and we get a really in depth exploration of the options here, the consequences of what suicide can do and what choosing to keep fighting can look like. Because all despair is temporary but it can take a lot of work to climb out of that hole. And Konigsberg depicts that part so well too- both teens undergo different types of treatment. Aaron starts taking medication and we even see the struggles involved there. I thought it was a very interesting point that Konigsberg chose to include a manic episode that’s triggered by the Meds. That’s quite common especially when giving SSRIs to young people and I truly loved that while bipolar is mentioned, the psychiatrist explained that they would have to explore the option but it could just be a one time thing in response to the drug. Well done, especially when far too often behaviors show up as side effects or responses to medications that then spiral into further diagnoses and more meds and no one ever seems to stop to ask what’s the meds and what’s the real issue. I liked this and that while Tillie doesn’t end up using meds the medication thing is portrayed neutrally and both teens benefit from therapy though they have varying responses to their individual therapists.
I loved the way Tillie and Aaron end up helping one another in the fourth and longest section too. And how they connect with other teens. I was also deeply struck by the way their families, in particular Aaron’s dad and Tillie’s mom rally around them. When I was a struggling teen I would’ve given anything to have had a parent like that and I think that makes such a profound difference. Yet there is still Aaron’s absent mother and Tillie’s dad who is physically present but emotionally absent too.
So this is a brilliantly and uniquely done exploration of options and Konigsberg masterfully weaves each one, all four possible outcomes to these suicidal teens on the bridge, without ever getting preachy or anything but real. Of course beyond the bridge maybe the options are actually limitless. But there’s only one way to find out and that is to live.
Finally, I thought it would be pertinent to add this quote from the author’s note at the end where he discusses why he wrote this book and what it meant to him. There is a range of feelings and beliefs when it comes to depicting teen suicide in media but in my mind Konigsberg nails it, doesn’t glamorize it or gloss over how difficult choosing to live can be, and has just the right tone in The Bridge. In his own words he says-
I like stories like this with alternate timelines and getting to explore different options. It works especially well with suicide- exploring and teaching a lesson of sorts without being remotely preachy. The author mostly excels with this and does an especially good job of teaching us about each character and their families and the events surrounding their despair through each storyline in a way that feels seamless and isn’t repetitive. You quickly find yourself carrying deeply for both gay only child Aaron and Korean adoptee Tillie.
Aaron is passionate about writing and singing songs and wants to be famous, in fact he’s kind of obsessed and overly preoccupied with getting others to like his music and him. He’s a bit of a loaner, a scholarship kid at a private high school, and while he’s full of passion for music, he has limited training. Tillie writes monologues with the kind of angst and earnestness only a high school girl can but when she pours out her soul, at the talent show of her private girls only high school, she is made into the butt of a cruel joke and her already absent father pulls away completely, embarrassed and angry at her for sharing what he sees as dirty laundry that should remain private. Notably both teens have a close relationship with their same sex parent while the other parent is entirely absent. I found that interesting given that I could relate to the absentee parent thing and the pain of that but not the close relationship part and I wondered what the likelihood that two kids with that much going on and that much pain would actually be so close to a parent. I’m certainly not saying that kids who are close with a parent don’t have problems and mental illness but I wondered if these were really the two kids most likely to find themselves on a bridge on the verge of suicide.
This book does so much, so well. I really loved that while Aaron is gay and openly so, and several people in the story end up asking if that’s the cause of his depression and suicidality, he states that it isn’t. In the afterwards author Bill Konigsberg discusses that queer kids are 5x more likely to attempt suicide and trans kids even more likely still, but it isn’t always queerness that’s the problem and I thought it was great to depict this. At the same time there’s a prominent secondary character, Amir, who unlike Aaron, is forced to remain closeted and worries what the guys at his all boys school will think and has been told by his mother that he would be disowned. Again we have some really great nuance since Amir is Arab and from a Muslim background but neither his mother nor he practice Islam and it isn’t the Islam that causes his mother to feel as she does. I also loved the way Amir’s character and Tillie bond over the stereotypes and racism they face and the complicated feelings Tillie has over being a Korean adoptee. Tillie’s parents end up having a baby of their own after being told they’d never be able to and again, I loved the nuance here with how deeply Tillie loves her younger sister and how close she is with her mom yet how she suspects some of her father’s issues with her have to do with the adoption and not being his biological child. These are real kids, written with real and complex issues and there’s so many different ways I think teens will relate as well as get a look through eyes of of teens with very different struggles. While every teen in the book attends private school, money is an issue in Aaron’s family too so there’s some class related diversity though I do think it’s a shame these are all very wealthy, financially privileged kids. Can’t fault that much though when there’s such a great depiction of diversity in many other regards.
There is one flaw that really bummed me out and lower my rating- it’s the poorly handled section where both kids jump. It feels a bit long yet also lacking and I don’t know that much could’ve been differently since it comes after the chapters looking at it one kid or the other does so we already see how their families and friends grieve but where Konigsberg does go felt very contrived. In addition to seeing how Tillie’s sister misses Tillie at future milestones, how Aaron’s single father copes with being even more alone, how the families generally go on in the far off future- we also are given glimpses of random strangers who we are to believe were the guys both Tillie and Aaron would’ve ended up marrying and that feels... just too much. There’s also some bizarre takes on ways the teens may have left their mark on the world- a chapter relating to one of Aaron’s song but since he died it never exists and a lonely teen needed it. Or far worse but this also is a major issue to the previous chapter- Konigsberg goes way overboard in imagining how different the future in 20-some years will be- we see a girl entering the last remaining library (most people use the WWB-World Wide Bibliotech. Yikes. Just no...) and she’s looking for a book on weight related online bullying that doesn’t exist because Tillie never wrote it. Contrived but also wow. The strange details tossed into these chapters about the future were jarring and odd and wholly unnecessary. This section really falters while the other three soar.
Thankfully the problematic section is the quickest to get through- and in being so quick and jarring really lacks the emotional impact- but the rest of the book is five star worthy. There’s so much emotion all around and we get a really in depth exploration of the options here, the consequences of what suicide can do and what choosing to keep fighting can look like. Because all despair is temporary but it can take a lot of work to climb out of that hole. And Konigsberg depicts that part so well too- both teens undergo different types of treatment. Aaron starts taking medication and we even see the struggles involved there. I thought it was a very interesting point that Konigsberg chose to include a manic episode that’s triggered by the Meds. That’s quite common especially when giving SSRIs to young people and I truly loved that while bipolar is mentioned, the psychiatrist explained that they would have to explore the option but it could just be a one time thing in response to the drug. Well done, especially when far too often behaviors show up as side effects or responses to medications that then spiral into further diagnoses and more meds and no one ever seems to stop to ask what’s the meds and what’s the real issue. I liked this and that while Tillie doesn’t end up using meds the medication thing is portrayed neutrally and both teens benefit from therapy though they have varying responses to their individual therapists.
I loved the way Tillie and Aaron end up helping one another in the fourth and longest section too. And how they connect with other teens. I was also deeply struck by the way their families, in particular Aaron’s dad and Tillie’s mom rally around them. When I was a struggling teen I would’ve given anything to have had a parent like that and I think that makes such a profound difference. Yet there is still Aaron’s absent mother and Tillie’s dad who is physically present but emotionally absent too.
So this is a brilliantly and uniquely done exploration of options and Konigsberg masterfully weaves each one, all four possible outcomes to these suicidal teens on the bridge, without ever getting preachy or anything but real. Of course beyond the bridge maybe the options are actually limitless. But there’s only one way to find out and that is to live.
Finally, I thought it would be pertinent to add this quote from the author’s note at the end where he discusses why he wrote this book and what it meant to him. There is a range of feelings and beliefs when it comes to depicting teen suicide in media but in my mind Konigsberg nails it, doesn’t glamorize it or gloss over how difficult choosing to live can be, and has just the right tone in The Bridge. In his own words he says-
“My strong belief is that talking about suicide does not, in general, lead young people to kill themselves. In fact, we need to talk MORE about suicide, to demystify it. We need to discuss the feelings of despair and depression, as well as the entirety of suicide, including the impacts. Including the alternatives. The discussion needs to be a complete one. In talking about suicide, we must be careful not to glamorize it. Not to create fantasies or magical thinking about suicide as some sort of answer to anyone’s struggles.”
April 24, 2021
“The thing about depression: it makes our brains lie to us. Depression loves to linger in the dark and silent, and it is most dangerous there.��
This book deals with hard topics: depression and suicide.
Aaron and Tillie don’t know each other but both end up on The George Washington Bridge at the same exact time intending to jump. Both feel like they will never be good enough. Their lives don’t matter. They don’t matter.
What makes this book so unique is that there are four different stories with four different what ifs?
What if...
Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn’t
Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn’t
They both jump
Neither of them jumps
Each what if is told in a story. Each what if shows how life would change for everyone and defines the feelings of wanting to die and ultimately what it feels like to live.
I cried and I cheered. My heart literally broke at times. Bill Konigsberg writes with such heart and emotion. His writing reminded me a lot of the author David Levithan and after reading the acknowledgments I found out that David was the editor. Fans of this book would also like David Levithan’s books. My favorite being Everyday. Each of these authors have a way of showing how no matter who you are we are all the same: human.
I can’t wait to read more by Bill.
This book deals with hard topics: depression and suicide.
Aaron and Tillie don’t know each other but both end up on The George Washington Bridge at the same exact time intending to jump. Both feel like they will never be good enough. Their lives don’t matter. They don’t matter.
What makes this book so unique is that there are four different stories with four different what ifs?
What if...
Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn’t
Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn’t
They both jump
Neither of them jumps
Each what if is told in a story. Each what if shows how life would change for everyone and defines the feelings of wanting to die and ultimately what it feels like to live.
I cried and I cheered. My heart literally broke at times. Bill Konigsberg writes with such heart and emotion. His writing reminded me a lot of the author David Levithan and after reading the acknowledgments I found out that David was the editor. Fans of this book would also like David Levithan’s books. My favorite being Everyday. Each of these authors have a way of showing how no matter who you are we are all the same: human.
I can’t wait to read more by Bill.
September 14, 2020
I loved Konigsberg's approach to this book. It was very thought provoking seeing the different chain of events kicked off in each scenario. I liked the emphasis on human connection, but what I really connected with was when the characters talked about "the mask". How often does someone ask you, "How are you?" and they really want to know? Someone dealing with depression often has to wear a mask, say they are fine. Konigsberg discussed this and how exhausting it is to keep up appearance, while acknowledging that this behavior keeps one from forming the type of connections they really need. He definitely nailed that for me. Oh, and I am glad he saved the best scenario for last.
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April 17, 2022
Un roman atypique mais hyper addictif et très touchant.
Tw : dépression, suicide, grossophobie, harcèlement, relations toxiques.
Tw : dépression, suicide, grossophobie, harcèlement, relations toxiques.
March 31, 2019
I just finished reading a draft of this and...WOW! I cannot wait for this to hit shelves and get into people's hands. Bill's character development and storytelling are top-notch. I fell in love with Aaron and Tillie. They broke my heart over and over but I never stopped pulling for them.
September 18, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Ankara C
Published on September 1st, The Bridge is Bill Konigsberg’s latest novel. His new work revolves around how suicide affects every aspect of not only one’s existence, but also that of others. Talking about suicide usually involves people wondering what could have been done different and how would a person’s death affect the people around them. Bill Konigsberg does exactly that, but taking it a step further. He offers the reader all the possible outcomes of Aaron’s and Tillie’s decision to jump (or not) by making use of alternative timelines. But fear not, despite the apparent repetitiveness of the premise, never does the novel read as monotonous. On the contrary, it becomes increasingly gripping as one version of reality closes and the next one starts.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
Published on September 1st, The Bridge is Bill Konigsberg’s latest novel. His new work revolves around how suicide affects every aspect of not only one’s existence, but also that of others. Talking about suicide usually involves people wondering what could have been done different and how would a person’s death affect the people around them. Bill Konigsberg does exactly that, but taking it a step further. He offers the reader all the possible outcomes of Aaron’s and Tillie’s decision to jump (or not) by making use of alternative timelines. But fear not, despite the apparent repetitiveness of the premise, never does the novel read as monotonous. On the contrary, it becomes increasingly gripping as one version of reality closes and the next one starts.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
February 10, 2023
Olen alati rääkinud, et kirjaniku elu juures on ägedaim asi see, et saad kasutada jumalikku jõudu luua või hävitada kõike, mida tahad. Selles noorteraamatus on autor seda õigust täielikult kasutanud. Teoses on olemas versioon, kus enesetapu teeb üks tegelane ning selline, kus teine. Samuti selline, kus surevad mõlemad ja ka elavad mõlemad. No et kõik võimalikud variandid.
Pärast lugemist ei jää sisse kerget tunnet. Samas on siiski tegemist pigem helge raamatuga.
Pikemalt kirjutan blogis: https://midaheliluges.blogspot.com/20...
Pärast lugemist ei jää sisse kerget tunnet. Samas on siiski tegemist pigem helge raamatuga.
Pikemalt kirjutan blogis: https://midaheliluges.blogspot.com/20...
September 2, 2021
See oli üks fantastiline ja võrratu raamat. Läheb kindlasti mu 2021. aasta lugemiselamuste tippu ning tõenäoliselt ka jääb sinna esikohale.
Esiteks juba see ülesehitus. Ma ei ole mitte kunagi ühtegi sellist raamatut lugenud ja kuna see lugemine oli peaaegu nagu pimekohting raamatuga, ei osanud oodata ka ehk kui ühel hetkel tekkis peatükk 1B, siis imestusest vajus lausa lõug maani! Aga see oli vaid positiivne! Ma olen paadunud "mis siis kui..." mõtleja ning selline ülesehitus oli täpselt see, mida raamatus vaja.
Tagasi algusesse minnes, ühel hetkel jäi mulje, et lahendus on totralt ja naiivselt kiire ning lihtne. No pole inimest, kes saaks depressioonist kahe päevaga üle. Aga siis hakkas koitma, mis sealt tegelikult tulla võib ja ei pannudki puusse.
Alguses jäi ka mulje, et tegelasi on liigagi palju, ent kuna nad põhimõtteliselt kõik kordusid, siis ei olnud probleemi ja said kenasti tuttavaks. Üheks mu lemmiktegelaseks oli Aaroni isa. Kasvõi juba seetõttu, et ta pole üldse stereotüüpne lahendus. Tillie isa... noh, mõneti stereotüüp aga samas, tegelikult mitte.
C osa peatükid peaksin ainult uuesti üle lugema, need jäid lugemise ajal veidike segaseks. Aga võimalik, et asi oli ka selles, et oleksin pidanud sel hetkel juba magama ning mitte raamatut ahmima.
Teemad on tõsised ja nendest ei proovitagi rääkida ümber nurga või kuidagi ridade vahele paigutades. Ja kindlasti on inimesi, kelle jaoks on vastumeelt, et noorteraamatus tuleb jutuks enesetapp, depressioon, vaimse tervise rasked hetked ja ka selliselt, kus õnnelik lõpp puudub. Aga need raamatud on vajalikud, need võivad olla toeks ja võivad aidata üle ka kõige mustematest hetkedest. Ja sellised raamatud eriti, mis näitavad erinevaid võimalusi, vaatenurki ja seda, mis juhtuks kui...
Esiteks juba see ülesehitus. Ma ei ole mitte kunagi ühtegi sellist raamatut lugenud ja kuna see lugemine oli peaaegu nagu pimekohting raamatuga, ei osanud oodata ka ehk kui ühel hetkel tekkis peatükk 1B, siis imestusest vajus lausa lõug maani! Aga see oli vaid positiivne! Ma olen paadunud "mis siis kui..." mõtleja ning selline ülesehitus oli täpselt see, mida raamatus vaja.
Tagasi algusesse minnes, ühel hetkel jäi mulje, et lahendus on totralt ja naiivselt kiire ning lihtne. No pole inimest, kes saaks depressioonist kahe päevaga üle. Aga siis hakkas koitma, mis sealt tegelikult tulla võib ja ei pannudki puusse.
Alguses jäi ka mulje, et tegelasi on liigagi palju, ent kuna nad põhimõtteliselt kõik kordusid, siis ei olnud probleemi ja said kenasti tuttavaks. Üheks mu lemmiktegelaseks oli Aaroni isa. Kasvõi juba seetõttu, et ta pole üldse stereotüüpne lahendus. Tillie isa... noh, mõneti stereotüüp aga samas, tegelikult mitte.
C osa peatükid peaksin ainult uuesti üle lugema, need jäid lugemise ajal veidike segaseks. Aga võimalik, et asi oli ka selles, et oleksin pidanud sel hetkel juba magama ning mitte raamatut ahmima.
Teemad on tõsised ja nendest ei proovitagi rääkida ümber nurga või kuidagi ridade vahele paigutades. Ja kindlasti on inimesi, kelle jaoks on vastumeelt, et noorteraamatus tuleb jutuks enesetapp, depressioon, vaimse tervise rasked hetked ja ka selliselt, kus õnnelik lõpp puudub. Aga need raamatud on vajalikud, need võivad olla toeks ja võivad aidata üle ka kõige mustematest hetkedest. Ja sellised raamatud eriti, mis näitavad erinevaid võimalusi, vaatenurki ja seda, mis juhtuks kui...
March 4, 2021
Aaron and Tillie are both on the George Washington Bridge, ready to jump. In four separate scenarios, Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't, Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't, both jump, and neither jump. Each scenario shows the immediate and long-lasting effects of suicide and the choice to live. While certain behaviors repeat in each scenario, the results differ.
I agree with the author that suicide is something that needs to be discussed more openly, and this was a good way to do that. Aaron and Tillie are dealing with very different life circumstances: Aaron is openly gay, depressed, and hurt by the perceived rejection of his artistic endeavors (acting and music) by his peers, while Tillie is an adoptee dealing with her adoptive father's distance and her classmates' ridicule about her weight. In the scenarios where only one of them survive, the survivor gets help and resolves some of their issues, but the victim's family suffers from the loss. The scenario where both Aaron and Tillie jump is the darkest timeline, but the book ends on a more uplifting note when neither of them jump and they help each other in the recovery. The road to recovery is not simply a matter of "they didn't jump and now they're all better" - it's a path that does not always look better and in none of the scenarios is it an easy one. But the possibility of healing gives this book weight. A really powerful read.
I agree with the author that suicide is something that needs to be discussed more openly, and this was a good way to do that. Aaron and Tillie are dealing with very different life circumstances: Aaron is openly gay, depressed, and hurt by the perceived rejection of his artistic endeavors (acting and music) by his peers, while Tillie is an adoptee dealing with her adoptive father's distance and her classmates' ridicule about her weight. In the scenarios where only one of them survive, the survivor gets help and resolves some of their issues, but the victim's family suffers from the loss. The scenario where both Aaron and Tillie jump is the darkest timeline, but the book ends on a more uplifting note when neither of them jump and they help each other in the recovery. The road to recovery is not simply a matter of "they didn't jump and now they're all better" - it's a path that does not always look better and in none of the scenarios is it an easy one. But the possibility of healing gives this book weight. A really powerful read.
August 22, 2022
C'était long et fastidieux. Je ne vois que des bonnes notes donc c'est peut-être un problème de traduction mais j'ai eu de grandes difficultés à le terminer. La curiosité m'a poussé à le lire jusqu'au bout. Dommage pour un sujet aussi important et puissant que la dépression et le suicide que la plume de suive pas...
March 19, 2023
Took too damn long to read.
August 8, 2020
Konigsberg has given us a story that includes all the elements of an intricate time travel story, including diverging timelines, without a time machine in sight. In a way, depression is a time machine. It holds us down in a single moment and forces us to live within that moment; it expands in one’s mind and fills every aspect of your being until you are forced to expel it from your body in one way or another. For those with suicidal ideation, that moment can be your last, and the act is the way that the moment leaves your body. Konigsberg’s The Bridge, focuses this moment on a particular place, the George Washington Bridge in New York City, making it real and tangible for the reader. This book expands and illuminates all the facets and faces in which depression expresses itself in the mind, the highs and lows, the effects on both the sufferer and their loved ones. A diverse and human cast of characters is introduced backwards, firstly by their effect on the world around them before we are introduced to the person themself. It is a profound and new way to tell a particularly important story. For those who suffer from depression, you can commiserate with Tillie and Aaron. For those that do not, this is a peek into the lives of those who do. Konigsberg has written a coming of age story that will resonate with young people for generations in a common struggle against an invisible enemy. If you have ever felt lost and alone, this book is for you.
March 19, 2022
Oh my gosh, this book is SO GOOD! I read Bill Konigsberg’s open letter to two parents in Texas who wanted this book banned in their school district. I immediately knew that I needed to read it for myself. It is fantastic! It is the best description I have read in fictional format about what it is like to have suicidal ideation, clinical depression, experience hypomania, and then the humiliating aftermath of that. My own hypomanic/depressive episode came on the heels of some family trauma some 35 years ago. Although I was fortunate enough to completely recover, I have never forgotten that difficult period of my life. It changed me and made me more empathetic towards those who have an ongoing struggle with this. Back then, no one was talking about any of this and I remember feeling so humiliated and alone. Since then, I have found it almost impossible to describe what happened to me. This book does thus! I am straight, but I can only imagine the added stress of being LGBTQIA+. We owe it to our young people of all walks in life to support them in their struggles and help them know that their voices are heard and that there is hope.
This is such an important book for teens to understand that they are not alone. Thank you, Bill Konigsberg for writing this powerful novel. I am a high school librarian and I will be making sure that we get a copy of this book for our collection.
This is such an important book for teens to understand that they are not alone. Thank you, Bill Konigsberg for writing this powerful novel. I am a high school librarian and I will be making sure that we get a copy of this book for our collection.
Want to read
April 27, 2020✨ You can read the first 18 pages in the I Read YA exclusive excerpt!
Content warnings: suicide (based on excerpt)
"It feels spiritual, almost. This skin, these organs.Alive, unalive. The fine edge between the two. It could have hap-pened so easily. He knows it."<?i>Thank you so much for the YALLWest 'This American Experience 2.0' panel for getting this book on my radar! I don't often read contemporary, but hearing Bill talk about this book and how much it means to him resonated with me. I need more stories with depression representation and can't wait to read this one!
Content warnings: suicide (based on excerpt)
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September 22, 2020
Good, but I was unable to read Aaron’s lyrics because they were light grey and practically invisible on the page. Bad move.
October 17, 2020
My students and I love Konigsberg, but this one was too pedantic for my taste. It bludgeons the readers with explanations instead of allowing us to put two and two together. A major pet peeve for me.
November 17, 2020
This important novel is a 4.5 for me, and yes, Bill Konigsberg, it's clear that you poured your heart and soul into this one. I've loved every book that this man has written because of the humor and honesty in each one, and this book is no exception. But oh, how hard this one hits. Aaron Boroff has had one of those days, topped off by a dismissive comment about his singing, and he's come to the George Washington Bridge to end it all. He's through with trying and through with life. But to his surprise, he sees another teen, Tillie Stanley, moving past him, clearly intent on ending her own life. Although the two teens don't know each other, they KNOW each other in a very elemental way since both have reached the end of their ropes. What follows are four very different versions of what might happen. In the first one (A) , at 3:57 p.m., just a few seconds later, Tillie leaps to her death in the Hudson River, and Aaron must decide how to deal with his own issues. In the second one (B) Aaron falls from the bridge as Tillie watches. In the third one (C), the shortest, both Aaron and Tillie die by suicide, and those they leave behind are left to contend with the holes they leave as well as what can never be. In the fourth one (D) the two choose not to dive from the bridge and become friends, facing down their demons and choosing life, even though it is far from perfect and things haven't necessarily changed the way they might wish. Still, it is clear that despite how desperate both characters are, they have individuals in their lives who care deeply about them and they are not alone. This is an eloquent exploration of body image, bullying, depression, delusions of grandeur, and the writing shines with its humor and honesty. When Aaron's new prescription works far too well, making him almost giddy, readers who have experienced something similar will be able to relate, but those experiences also attest to the sometimes rocky road to recovery and healing. Aaron's and Tillie's reasons for wanting to leave the world behind will resonate with many readers, but it's also true that things will get better if they can only have patience and wait. I suspect that this book will save many lives and will provide a starting place for conversations about suicide and depression. Konigsberg has created two characters that touched my heart and made me care about them. I desperately wanted them to live and to go on to have all the experiences they were meant to have. I haven't even mentioned the parents in the book, but the way they handle their offspring also has importanc. The Author's Note and Resources are important inclusions in this book, offering insight and places to find help.
September 26, 2020
While I am not generally a fan of alternate narratives, I became less hooked on the four outcomes of Tillie and Aaron's suicidal dances, and more intrigued with the ripples.
Overall, this is not a depressing tome, and yet it exposes how a single decision can alter and impact the lives of others for decades after that decision. It also reveals how sometimes one overture can radiate into a life-long trajectory. So yeah, the process of living out the alternatives is what makes each of the four ways Bill Konigsberg relates Aaron's and Tillie's stories sing. And far from being off-putting, the four ways in the end create a medley.
Adolescent suicidation, it should surprise no one, is pretty common, and The Bridge with its alternate outcomes offers a wide perspective of how things can play out. For that, it may indeed present a deterrent, or offer just enough pause for a call to a friend or a walk across the park to clear one's head.
I am grateful to Bill Konigsberg for these compelling stories about a half-Jewish gay boy and an adopted Korean girl who decide on the same afternoon to jump from the same George Washington Bridge.
L'Chaim is a Jewish saying, which means To Life!
Overall, this is not a depressing tome, and yet it exposes how a single decision can alter and impact the lives of others for decades after that decision. It also reveals how sometimes one overture can radiate into a life-long trajectory. So yeah, the process of living out the alternatives is what makes each of the four ways Bill Konigsberg relates Aaron's and Tillie's stories sing. And far from being off-putting, the four ways in the end create a medley.
Adolescent suicidation, it should surprise no one, is pretty common, and The Bridge with its alternate outcomes offers a wide perspective of how things can play out. For that, it may indeed present a deterrent, or offer just enough pause for a call to a friend or a walk across the park to clear one's head.
I am grateful to Bill Konigsberg for these compelling stories about a half-Jewish gay boy and an adopted Korean girl who decide on the same afternoon to jump from the same George Washington Bridge.
L'Chaim is a Jewish saying, which means To Life!
February 6, 2024
I went into this completely blind and was completely blown away. Stellar storytelling, so smart, so well done. I was not expecting the four-way exploration of things and was delighted by and in awe of BK's creativity. It was a wild and emotional ride seeing how things played out in each storyline. I do wish that some of the life events touched on in the third "retelling" ie, Tillie's apparent true love, the college boy who never got to meet Aaron, Aaron's missed career as a music journalist, etc. had circled back and connected to things that happened in the fourth. I was fully expecting it and was bummed not to get it. No matter. This was such a thought-provoking, meaty, unputdownable, and *important* piece of work that I know will stick to my ribs more than most books I read. I loved it. Fantastic afterword, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2021
TW: suicide
This book was good. It was hard to decide whether to give it 4 or 5 stars because I think the story and the message was great but it didn’t grip me. There weren’t points where I felt that I couldn’t put it down and that is a big factor in rating a book 5 stars for me.
It is written in a very different structure to anything I’ve read before and the novelty of that was great. I think the author accurately represented the effects of suicide on family members and really anyone in the deceased’s life. This representation of the lasting effect it has is not something I’ve seen explored in anything I’ve read before. It’s common for people who feel suicidal to think that people will be sad for a while but will move on. However, having lost a parent to mental ill health I can tell you no one moves on (no matter how much you succeed or try to be happy, their absence will always be felt deeply) especially by those close to them, and I think this book illustrates that well. It also includes the constant barriers to becoming and staying well after a period of depression, a lot of fiction will show the happy ending leaving the reader thinking that everyone will be happy forevermore. This book has a much more realistic ending whilst still presenting the idea of hope.
This is a heavy heavy book so please only consider reading it if you’re in a safe headspace and physical space yourself. And talk to the people around you if the topics covered cause you harm or distress.
This book was good. It was hard to decide whether to give it 4 or 5 stars because I think the story and the message was great but it didn’t grip me. There weren’t points where I felt that I couldn’t put it down and that is a big factor in rating a book 5 stars for me.
It is written in a very different structure to anything I’ve read before and the novelty of that was great. I think the author accurately represented the effects of suicide on family members and really anyone in the deceased’s life. This representation of the lasting effect it has is not something I’ve seen explored in anything I’ve read before. It’s common for people who feel suicidal to think that people will be sad for a while but will move on. However, having lost a parent to mental ill health I can tell you no one moves on (no matter how much you succeed or try to be happy, their absence will always be felt deeply) especially by those close to them, and I think this book illustrates that well. It also includes the constant barriers to becoming and staying well after a period of depression, a lot of fiction will show the happy ending leaving the reader thinking that everyone will be happy forevermore. This book has a much more realistic ending whilst still presenting the idea of hope.
This is a heavy heavy book so please only consider reading it if you’re in a safe headspace and physical space yourself. And talk to the people around you if the topics covered cause you harm or distress.
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