Enjoying this book? Help it get discovered by casting your vote!

Loved it! 😍

A beautifully constructed cautionary tale based on a true story of ambition and redemption.

Synopsis

When Ben O'Betany – a misguided engineering student – is partnered with the girl he's been plagiarizing, he begins seeing the world in a new light as they research tragic events behind the Quebec Bridge disaster.

Modern and Victorian era timelines intersect after the students discover a journal penned by one of the men who worked on the bridge: Alec Durand, a newlywed outsider with dreams of becoming an engineer, is thrust into responsibility after his arrogant boss neglects his duty as chief engineer, and returns to New York.

The Bridge is a wonderful coming-of-age story based on true events that changed Canadian history, by inspiring the Ritual Calling of an Engineer, and the Iron Ring.

Based on the Quebec Bridge Disaster of 1907, The Bridge began as a screenplay. From its dedication—“Big Tech: Actions have consequences”—and opening quote from Margaret Meade—“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world”—the author emphasizes the seriousness of the subject matter.


In the present, the protagonists are Ben and Esther, senior-year engineering students at a Canadian university. Ben is a short-cut taking, system-gaming partier; Esther is serious and astute. When their professor pairs them for an Ethics project, sparks fly as they unpack the events of the Disaster.


Using their project as a literary device, Palmer goes back in time to the precipitating events and tragic culmination, out of which, with the support of Kipling, came the advent of the Iron Ring ceremony (which the author knows firsthand). In a private ritual, graduating engineers are given a ring of iron—rough-cut so it snags—which they wear on their left pinkie as a reminder of the seriousness of their work and its potential consequences.


Our hero in the past is Alec, a laborer and gifted engineer. A newlywed and soon to be father, Alec is motivated to make the most of the bridge project. Reminiscent of Follett’s Pillars of the Earth (and Titanic, which continues to loom like a spectre) we see how the engineers, site managers, labor supervisors, and laborers (“skywalkers”) constellate around the project, representing different levels of meaning and engagement. For some, it’s a paycheck. For others, a stepping-stone to promotion. For others, like New York–based designer Cardinal, it’s about prestige.


Cardinal’s set in opposition to the local consulting engineer, McDougall, the archetype of the Warner who sees the flaws in the design, as do the supervisors, as the project proceeds, but to whom Cardinal won’t listen.


As Palmer deftly navigates parallel timelines, moving each to its inevitable climax, there’s growth, realization, betrayal, loss of life, and several secrets revealed.


As a historical novelist and teaching-artist, I’m conscious of the dangers of looking at the morality of the past through modern lenses; Palmer’s approach is flawless. The whole point is that Ben’s slacker mindset is not commensurate with the role of the engineer. Considering the Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967 and the Minneapolis bridge collapse forty years later, The Bridge is a novel with gravitas, told by a storyteller with the necessary knowledge and skill.  

Reviewed by

I am a screenwriter, playwright, Escape Room and immersive experience designer, and story analyst. I have 8 published novels, and 6 nonfiction books, most available on Amazon (Joey Madia). I review books for several publicists and review sites. 383 published reviews.

Synopsis

When Ben O'Betany – a misguided engineering student – is partnered with the girl he's been plagiarizing, he begins seeing the world in a new light as they research tragic events behind the Quebec Bridge disaster.

Modern and Victorian era timelines intersect after the students discover a journal penned by one of the men who worked on the bridge: Alec Durand, a newlywed outsider with dreams of becoming an engineer, is thrust into responsibility after his arrogant boss neglects his duty as chief engineer, and returns to New York.

The Bridge is a wonderful coming-of-age story based on true events that changed Canadian history, by inspiring the Ritual Calling of an Engineer, and the Iron Ring.

The sounds of the river and the birds, the wind and the crickets, all seemed to fade into the background over time, but the clang of hammers and anvils never did, even in the still of the afternoons. While the animals took shelter from the hot sun, the workers labored on.

Calls split the air and the man at a coal furnace straightened up briefly to look at the structure spanning the river. Behind a thick, canvas apron and long work gloves, his skin rippled with corded muscle, holding a sheen of sweat and a liberal coating of grime.

Without taking his eyes from the structure, he pulled one hand out of a glove and wiped his brow quickly. Blue eyes, far from unusual amongst the Quebecoise workers, stood out startling and clear against soot-streaked skin.

A huge team was accompanying a section of the bridge as it was moved into place to be lifted. Horses strained and men hooked the carrying cables around it. This was as much an art as a science, hard-won lessons in safety mixing with an intuition of which cable might be a bit weak, which specific place on the beam might be best for the cable. The men shouted to one another without looking up, the language of the jobsite and their familiarity with one another helping them move as one unit.

The man at the furnace slid his hand back into the glove and rotated one shoulder with a wince before reaching into the furnace with tongs. Amongst the flames, rivets were heating, and he selected one of just the right shade.

He cast a glance over his shoulder before tossing the glowing rivet through the air. It whistled in a neat arc before it was snatched out of the air by a Catcher with an expert maneuver of an ash-lined leather bucket. The boy flashed a smile before turning to hold the bucket out to a Holder-on, who set the rivet in place on one of the steel beams.

As the Holder-on steadied the rivet, another man gave it several heavy strikes with a hammer, flattening it permanently in place.

By the time the head of the rivet was flattened, the whole operation was beginning again, another rivet already in the air. There was no time for rest at this worksite—or for rubbernecking, no matter how impressive the feats as men hauled great pieces of steel skyward.

On a hill overlooking both the river and the site, a large man stood with his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. His eyes were fixed on the bridge, and there was a frown on his face. He shifted slowly but continuously: crossing his arms, then putting his hands back in his pockets, shifting his weight.

The man with the hammer wiped at his brow with one sleeve and took a sip of water from a nearby jug before looking up. He frowned as well when he saw the man in the suit, and waited for the other to look at him.

When the man in the suit cocked his head in a silent question, the hammerer looked around the worksite. Evidently reassured by what he saw, he gave a nod back to the man in the suit, who relaxed slightly. He wandered away in a slow circle, watching his shoes, lost in thought.

Behind him, a temporary building served as the office for the construction site. Inside lay piles of documents and sketches that never could be kept neat—this wasn’t some city office, after all, but one on an active site, where any set of schematics might need to be pulled out at any time.

The clop of a horse’s hooves sounded, and a whistle split the air.

The suited man looked up to see a young telegram boy on horseback, both horse and rider sweaty from the ride.

“Can I help you?” The man cleared his throat; between the dust and the heat, it was dry.

The boy held up an envelope. “I have a telegram for the site engineer.”

“That’s me.” The man strode over to take the telegram, and, as he tore it open, looked over to where the beam was now being lifted.

The groan began so slowly that it seemed to come from inside the bones of those present. Men began to turn and look before they knew what they were looking at, and the site engineer -scanning the telegram- lifted his head like a deer listening for footsteps. The horse pranced nervously, and the boy reined it in sharply.

There was a pause while the world seemed to hang in complete stillness…and then the groan rose to a metallic screech, accompanied by the indrawn, horrified breath of every man on site. The site engineer burst into motion and sprinted for the slope, but even as he was moving, so was the bridge: sliding, twisting, toppling—

Comments

About the author

Andrew Palmer grew up in Oakville, Ontario. He graduated from computer engineering and joined the Directors Guild of Canada to work in TV & Film production. His interests are in science fiction and politics, with some of his favourite storytellers including Robert Heinlein and Issac Asimov. view profile

Published on November 26, 2021

Published by Synapz Productions

60000 words

Genre:Coming of Age

Reviewed by

Review this book

Share your thoughts with other readers now.