The Bridge of San Luis Rey

I just finished "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" by Thorton Wilder. The winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, the story is of the inter-connected lives of five people who die when the bride of San Luis Rey collapses while they are crossing it.

I picked up a copy of the book in a used bookstore in Lindon, Washington about two years ago, and despite its small size, I never got around to actually reading it. I grabbed it on an impulse for this trip, and I have to tell you, I don't regret it.

This book masterfully connects each character in this book in wonderfully inventive ways that aren't overdone or too stereotypical. If you're a fan of LOST (and hey, who isn't?), then you might understand what I'm talking about. I finished this book with a feeling of hope and it left me thinking in a more profound way than most other books twice its length.

Wilder has been characterized as an "unfashionable Optimist" whose work embodies his "concern with, admiration for and love of human life at its most ordinary..." If this sounds appealing to you, pick this book up. Finally, a quote:

"All, all of us have failed. One wishes to be punished. One is willing to assume all kinds of penance, but you know, my daughter, that in love --I scarcely dare say it--but in love our very mistakes don't seem to be able to last long?"