AND THE BRIDGE IS LOVE

Three lonely older women from Brooklyn form an unlikely friendship and tackle difficult life moments together.

The book opens as 60-year-old Gertie Sundersen chokes on a plum. Corinna Hale happens to be standing nearby and rushes to help, but due to a rare genetic condition, she is too small to effectively perform the Heimlich on someone of Gertie’s stature. Corinna implores Maria Benedetti, another bystander, to help. After the women successfully rescue Gertie from impending doom, the trio meanders to a bench overlooking the Verrazzano Bridge. As they sit and take in the magnificent view, they begin to share secrets with each other: Gertie is a divorced former athlete, Maria is a lovelorn Italian widow, and Corinna, who's never been married, dabbles in recreational drugs. The one common denominator is that each woman is very much alone. They end up enjoying each other’s company so much that they begin meeting weekly at their bench at the bridge. Over time, the friendship they share becomes the most important aspect of each woman’s life. Unfortunately, after two decades of bonding, Maria decides to go digging into Gertie’s and Corinna’s pasts, unintentionally threatening the very relationships that have come to mean the most to her. The story joins the three friends when they get together and also follows the women through various aspects of their individual lives. The story moves along rather drowsily, with long stretches between significant events and disproportionate focus on moments that do not advance the narrative. The strength of the novel comes in quiet moments when each of the main characters is able to engage in personal reflection about the life she has lived and what she hopes to do with her remaining time. The Verrazzano Bridge is also a central fixture of the story, one that essentially becomes its own character as the tale unfolds. Although the narrative veers off track at a few points and would have benefitted from the fleshing out of intriguing subplots, the insightful commentary on growing older should be sufficient to keep some readers engrossed.

An unhurried evaluation of the importance of companionship and friendship at any age.