The Bridge Home Padma Venkatraman

Have you ever thought about the rhythm of reading. In a well written book I find it easy to slip into the rhythm of the writing. The pages almost seem to turn themselves. As I was sitting on a train yesterday reading this book everything around me disappeared. I was totally absorbed into the world of Viji, her sister Ruku and their two friends Muthi and Arul. This book deals with tough issues. Padma takes us into a harsh place where there is violence and desperate poverty and every day is about survival. These children are living life on the edge. I know this sounds odd, after I have mentioned such difficulties, but this book is also a joy to read. I so appreciate that I have meet these children and I feel privileged to now have a small understanding of their lives which sadly reflect the lives of many children in our world. 

You can click the review comments below for more plot details. I just wanted to add some text quotes to show you the power of this writing. These are description of the garbage heaps where the children work.

"Not far away was the largest garbage heap I'd ever seen. Mounds and mounds of junk and waste stretched out like a mountain range. The fragrance of wilted jasmine flowers mingled with the smell of goat droppings and every other bad smell imaginable."

"I squelched along as best I could, making slow progress. I speared a damp rag and shook it into my sack. But when I spotted a bottle, half filled with sour milk, I had to read for it with my bare hands. I wanted to run away screaming."

"After what felt like hours, my legs were coated with yellow and brown slime and my back was slick with sweat. A sense of hopelessness spread in my heart like the stains spreading on my skirt. Stains that would never wash out."

Please take a few minutes to watch Colby Sharp talking about this book. He uses words such as 'heartbreak'; 'rough'; 'makes you think'; 'powerful'; 'a book readers won't forget'; 'I read the first fifty pages and I was captivated'; 'an important book'; 'see a world different from mine through the pages of a book'; 'I'm a better person (because I read this book'.

At the end of this book go back and re-read the first chapter. The circle of the story will feel complete. You can hear an audio sample of the author reading her book here and this includes the first chapter. If you have some time here is a video interview with Padma. She talks about using fiction to build empathy. Here is Padma's web site.

A blisteringly beautiful book. Kirkus Star review

... this bittersweet story is about breaking the cycle of abuse, reaching for your dreams, and finding home in the most unlikely people and places. Horn Book

What is most striking about THE BRIDGE HOME is that, despite its brevity, it is filled with such passion, emotion and detail that it is impossible not to fall in love with the characters and the story. Readers are immediately sucked into the lives of Viji and Rukku. KidsReads

Although this is a middle grade novel, this book is raw and so unbearably real. The circumstances these four young children face each day is heard of through charity commercials. They struggle to find food, shelter, and clothes. The dangers of the environment play a heavy role in this story, making it so realistic that you’re worried about how these children could possibly survive. Towards the end, something does happen that makes you burst into tears. These children that you fall in love with are not in a fantastical world but in the real world we see today and they’re not invincible. Remarkablylisa

I would follow this book with Trash and Ibqal.