The One-Way Bridge: A Novel
The folks who live on either side of Maine’s Mattagash River are a quirky bunch, and all of them are known to Orville Craft, who, as the local letter carrier, gains unique insight into their habits and idiosyncrasies. In the waning days before his retirement, Orville becomes particularly vexed by the outlandishness of his nemesis, Harry Plunkett, whose moose-shaped mailbox is an affront to Orville’s devotion to the dignity of the U.S. Postal Service. Theirs is a venerable feud, dating back to a high-school rivalry over the affections of the girl who would become Orville’s wife, a woman who now prefers playing computer games to performing her marital duties. As Orville contemplates ways to save his marriage and plots revenge against Harry’s mail-related taunts, the other residents along his route ponder making changes to their own lives, often with devastating consequences. A one-way bridge may dissect Pelletier’s colorful community, but it also serves as a reminder that there are two sides to every story. --Carol Haggas--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.