Book Review : The Bridge Home

I remember that day when I found this book, I was curious to read it and explore it. Its title caught my attention…The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman.

The book was about a group of children who had experienced abuse and lived on the streets of Chennai, India. Viji, a 11-year-old girl who lives in a small home with her parents and her sister, Rukku, runs away with her sister after their father turns his rage, and anger on them. Viji feels free and some sense of guilt for leaving their parents. However, she also feels she must make some decisions to survive, with her sister.

Rukku is Viji’s 12-year-old developmentally disabled sister. She brings a lot of hope and courage despite her disability. Rukku’s talent for beading necklaces helps them survive.

Muthu and Arul, are two homeless boys who help Viji and Rukku find shelter, food, and a way to survive. They become brothers to the sisters. Pootie, a stray dog who Rukku adopts is the other important character in the story.

The book is divided into chapters, each one emotionally expressing many feelings. My favorite and most emotional sentence was when Viji explains “As I gazed at Amma’s trembling chin, I realized how different we were. Amma trusted that if she put up with things, she’d be rewarded with another, better life after she died, It made no sense to me why any god who made us suffer in this life would start caring for us in the next.”

Read more Stories from the School

The book revolves around the difficulties Viji and Rukku have to face as homeless children. But with Muthu and Arul on their side, they feel they aren’t the only ones. 

Throughout this book, I got to know how the story deals with many difficult topics, including homelessness, physical abuse, the caste system, and different religions.

My favorite character was VijiD. Despite having less money she always has been an inspiration.  How she managed without giving up on life. How she lived for her sister. How she crossed all borders just to help her sister in need! That’s one characteristic which only few or perhaps, rarely people have, nowadays.

This book was well-crafted, especially if you’re into gentle, thoughtful writing. The content of this book is difficult – girls fleeing from an abusive family situation only to become homeless on the streets of Chennai where they starve and fall ill.

The Bridge Home is a powerful and relatable story. I recommend it to my friends because it made me think about homeless children in my city and how I can help them.

I liked this book a lot because it had many  different contexts that I entered as a reader. From the start of the book, Viji explained how she felt. She explained it in many words,  each one touching my heart. Even in times of danger she had hope, she lived for her sister. This personality of Viji was very inspiring.  How Viji explained her feelings is what makes this book stand out.Throughout the book her love for her sister was unforgettable.

I would recommend this to all friends because it’s a book that can’t be put down until the end.  

Angel Sunny 

Std. 8 B

Bridge Home

Written by Padma Venkatraman

Published by Penguin Random House (2019)

This book is available in the school library