Review of Magic Bridge

[Ramadevi Tatavarthi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Magic Bridge" by Tom Wheeler.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Tom Wheeler has come up with an interesting novel called Magic Bridge, which revolves around the life of Aiden Summers, an aggrieved man in search of comfort and reality. Saddened by his fate and hopeless, Aiden decides to go to India, hearing the legends of a bridge that will show a man who he really is. Specifically, Aiden wants to get rid of internal problems by crossing the Rama Setu, astonishingly called Adam’s Bridge. The novel combines Aiden’s physical trip through India with his psychological turmoil as he deals with grief, guilt, and an existential quest. These include Aiden’s journey through college, where he meets other characters and is exposed to different lifestyles, beliefs, opinions, and values regarding life, religion, and spirituality. The consequent riveting driving scenes and situations filled with divinity and mercy, together with a process of self-discovery, make Aiden’s path a path of an iconoclastic struggle of faith and redemption in the face of evil.

I personally appreciate capturing the colorfulness of Indian culture, including cities, beaches, and ancient temples. The author paints a beautiful picture of what it is to be in this fascinating country and well brings out the change in Aiden. I was engrossed in the story of Aiden and wanted him to come to terms and seek redemption for the ill-actions he had done in the past and have a proper life. This aspect is well exemplified by the author’s treatment of the theme of faith, especially the development of the Christian faith by the protagonist. As it has been noted, the story raises numerous questions about the nature of faith and doubt in people’s lives, and thus, its appeal will be universal, as it can easily target audiences of different religious inclinations.

This book does not disappoint me in any way. I really couldn’t see anything amiss with it, and the editing is simply superb. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars because the author did an outstanding job at incorporating adventure and magical realism to help answer big questions like faith and doubt. I would suggest it to people who are willing to consider essentially different opinions—people who are still looking for the truth.

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Magic Bridge
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