Review Detail

The opening section of Here Lies Bridget is definitely an attention grabber. Bridget is driving recklessly, thinking of how everyone might react should she die. Awful and sad those these sentiments are, they are all the more powerful for being something most high schoolers can relate to (although many probably don't act on their macabre fantasies). The second chapter goes back to explain what brought Bridget, the most notorious girl in school to the contemplation of suicide. The framework definitely sucks the reader into the plot, curious to find out what exactly she did.

About at the halfway point, the plot catches up to the opening and the real point of the story arrives. Bridget, through some aspect of the crash, ends up in some place where she is being judged for her ways in a very Christmas Carol-y way. Only, she just goes to the past and sees her behavior through the eyes of others. This part was pretty cool and did a good job of getting the point across without taking too much time or repetition. The plot is entirely straight forward, but still nifty.

The fantasy aspect of the story was definitely my favorite, but I am a bit confused/puzzled/stymied/bothered by what happened. It just doesn't make sense. What in the world transpired here? I think that perhaps some additional pages spent in the denouement might have helped. The ending was rather abrupt, at least in the galley version which I read.

This is a good, super quick read. The story is predictable, but a good message and not like many of the other books I have read recently. If you're looking for something quick, fun and a little bit quirky, give this a try!