About book Between The Bridge And The River (2007)
Between the Bridge and the River is a brilliant exploration of the collective unconsciousness! Craig Ferguson is not only an entertaining talk show host, musician and non-fiction writer: he could easily have a huge career as a full-time novelist! I loved the imagination behind this one, with cameos by the poet Virgil, the horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft, psychologist Carl Jung and others. An intellectual's picnic! I would have deducted half a point for a few nit-picky things here and there, but I love Craig Ferguson and will read anything he writes! The man is brilliant.Following is the reader's guide that I discovered after reading the book. I only wish I could discuss them in detail with you. "Dear Readers,If your group has decided to discuss my book then let me first of all thank you for your attention and time.Here are a few random thoughts that may stimulate your discussions.I began the book with five statements. Apologia, History, Confession, Time, and Science. Why are these statements made so early? Are they rules for the world you are about to enter? If they are, are the rules followed? Are the statements truthful or accurate? Does this matter?The first chapter of the book is entitled Alpha Wolves, the last chapter is called Omega Man. This is obviously a biblical reference. Do you think I'm drawing any conclusions about God in the book? Is this a religious work? What constitutes a religious work or act? Can writing, even if it contains dissension and doubt, be an act of worship?Is all art an act of worship?There are some sexual acts described in graphic detail. Is this salacious? Why is photographed sex "pornography" but written sex "literature"? Is that true? Is fictional sex better than the real thing?Someone who read the book early on said that Carl Jung [ed. note: Jung appears to one of the book's characters in a series of dreams] was my father figure. I thought Jung might be an imagining of the Deity, or maybe just the ghost of Carl Jung. What do you think?A few characters in the book are already dead but this doesn't seem to slow them down much. Does the continuance of life after death prove the existence of God? If it does, then does the existence of life before death prove the existence of God? Is it a good idea to prove the existence of God? What happens to faith if you have proof? Do you need faith if you have proof? Is the existence of faith an admission that there is some doubt as to the existence of God?Claudette believes that evil is born in the victim excuse. Do people really use injustice committed on them in their past to justify their actions? Do you do this? Does your country? Your family? Your ethnic group?Is it valid to use aggression or antisocial behavior on the descendants of those who persecuted your ancestors? If not, how are the wrongs of the past dealt with? Should they be dealt with at all? Is it enough to simply apologize? On a personal or even international level?George attempts suicide. Is he morally wrong to do so?The church founded by Saul and Leon is built on lies and deceit, yet Fraser thinks that this ultimately doesn't matter because it helps some people. Is he right?There are many hidden literary references in the text. For example, the old Icelandic boatman who ferries Frasier across the underground sea is called Arne Saknussem, a lesser character in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Why do you think I did this? Was I just showing off or is there a reason for it?What do you know of Jung's theory of the collective unconscious? Does it seem valid to you?My heart was broken when I wrote this book. Is that the kind of thing necessary to stimulate creativity? Can a person be happy and creative?I know the answers to maybe two or three of these questions. I wish you better luck figuring things out.Peace and Love,Craigx"
I like Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show and think he's a very funny guy. As an author he's not bad. Between the Bridge and the River is actually a lot different than I expected it to be. It is comedic but it's also a good work of literature, which was a nice surprise. Although, at times the book felt a little pretentious as if Ferguson tried too hard to make it a literary masterwork. Nonetheless, I did enjoy it and I hope he continues to write more.Messy is a word to describe the story, but not really in a bad way. It constantly jumps around with characters that are loosely connected. As the book progresses, the connections become stronger and the finale, while not genius, is amusing and satisfying. Not all the characters are likable, but they are all interesting, and that's what I mostly care about. Plus the situations they end up in and the things they do are very entertaining. A thing I didn't like about the book are the dream sequences. The character that dreams the most is Fraser and often in his dreams he encounters historical figures and people from other works of literature. It gets to the point of being excessive and I didn't find the dreams all that interesting.To amplify this problem, in a few dream/vision scenes a historical character will start telling a story, which we have to read. Because of these extra and unnecessary stories, the book feels more drawn out than it should be. It's not a major problem because the stories are few and short, yet due to their irrelevance they mess with the flow of the narrative. Otherwise, Between the Bridge and the River is humorous and thoughtful, with characters that have depth and plot lines that are fun to read. Being Ferguson's debut novel, it's a decent start, but there a few things that can be improved on, mostly the pacing.
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Sometimes I start composing my Goodreads reviews in my head as I'm reading. In this case, I started off thinking that Ferguson's experience as a drummer and a comic are evident in his writing. The first chapter is delightfully rhythmic; it almost begs to be read aloud. His characterizations of young George and Fraser are brisk, efficient and spot-on. There was definite 5-star potential here.After a couple of chapters, though, I realized that this was reminding me more and more of A Confederacy of Dunces. I hated that book. I couldn't quite put my finger on the similarities (probably because I've tried to purge Dunces from my memory), but it probably has to do with the meandering, often absurd plot, plus an almost total lack of character development. Ferguson has a gift for capturing the essence of his characters in just a sentence or two, but then simply throws events at them -- like crafting a lovely pinata only to spend the rest of the day whacking it with a broomstick. Which I suppose is the point of a pinata, and which I also suppose is why this novel kinda works anyway.Recommended for anyone who liked A Confederacy of Dunces.
—Sarah
I have to admit. I was hesitant. I found this on one of the circle twirly tables in the library that sucks you in with its passive aggressive suggestions. It was shiny. It had a neat cover. It was new, no binding creases or sticky residue. Okay.Craig Ferguson? Isn’t he that pervy boss from that Drew Carey show from the 90s? He has a talk show now right? I’m old and haven’t watched late night since Letterman was funny. Ever more hesitant. Okay, now this is downright just… is he making fun of me? I mean, you write a book and you get Mitch Albom and Lawrence Block to write the bookjacket testimonials? Really? And you expect self respecting booknerds to read it? This has to be some sort of underhanded snarkyness on Craig’s part. He’s testing me. Fine.What I found: He can write. He really can. He’s like a good Christopher Moore with an acute case of ADD. He starts off with an ‘apologia’:“This story is true. Of course, there are many lies therein and most of it did not happen, but it’s all true. In that sense it is deeply religious, perhaps even biblical.”He defines time as: “ is only linear for engineers and referees.”He says about science: “The laws of physics states that given the mass-to-wingspan ratio of a bumblebee, it is impossible for the creature to fly. But it does.”And, this is just the first page. I loved his rants, his innuendos, his observations. I thought his characters were human to a fault or many faults. His view of American culture is dead on. His acerbic wit puts me squarely in my humbled American pie Lazy-Boy.Give this guy a shot. He might surprise you. Interestingly enough, this was written in 2006. What took so long for it to end up on my circle table???
—Kim
I'm not entirely sure how to encapsulate this book. It's an interesting mix of not-entirely-linear narrative, casual asides, the occasional whiff of 12-step thinking, and a message that's hard to argue with: help others. The most barbed satire of the book is directed at the entertainment industry, which makes sense given that Ferguson was on the Drew Carey show and now has his own evening interview show. Yet in some regards it's less entertaining because there's genuine anger behind it, as opposed to the more sentimental satire of Scottish life from the earlier stages of the book. Having started out life in Scotland and spent 10 years in southern California, that could just be my prejudices speaking. In any case, it's a book with some truly funny passages, an unvarnished view of human frailty, a note of hope for the capacity of humans to look beyond themselves, and some truly entertaining asides.
—Colin
