In the tide of Dunbar past there is the story of five brothers, with a dynamic much alike to the boys in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'. Their mother dead and father abandoned them in grief they are left to fend for themselves. It was a story of many elements and many timelines, recounting the history of their parents Penelope and Michael, the history of the brothers fending alone and the numerous pets they acquire named after the heroes of Homer's epics, and the present timeline where Clay leaves to find his father and build a bridge as way of proving himself to all those he loved who had died. It's a story of grief, love, family, horse racing and running, rooftops and identity. Zusak packed so much into the story and crafts his characters so well, whereas comparing it to The Book Thief, his language is much less poetic and it did not come close to equalling the emotional hold that that book had on me. If his other work wasn't one of the best books I had ever read, then maybe Bridge of Clay would've impacted me a bit more, but safe to say I had very high expectations.