The Girl on the Bridge

Ken Reger
Aventine Press (2006)
ISBN 159330434X
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (4/07)

Ken Reger’s “The Girl on the Bridge” does not have a great cover.  It is very bland.  I dreaded reading the book for that reason.  Well, you know what they say about the cover of a book.

I became interested in Kevin Edwards from the first chapter.  Kevin Edwards returned from the Vietnam War to his hometown in a very rural town in Missouri.  This rural town in Missouri is so out-of-touch with the rest of the world, that they do not understand the impact the war has on the soldiers.  The Vietnam War is no big deal to this area in Missouri, because it does not affect them directly.

Edwards spent time in a VA hospital to help him through the post traumatic stress syndrome.  He never quite gets through the horror of the war.  He does meet a woman by the name of Cherokee Irons that leads him through the past.  Kevin keeps having flashbacks, but he uses the blocking techniques that his VA counselor taught him.  Cherokee Irons and Kevin Edwards end up fighting demons of the past that can only be fought with the information he had struggled to block. 

Some of the dialogue between Kevin and Cherokee seems a bit much.  I wanted to skip ahead; however, within the dialogue, Kevin’s inner turmoil is expressed.  The fact is Kevin could not move on, and that made the dialogue seem slow.  This should make all readers more empathetic toward veterans. 

“The Girl on the Bridge” has 314 pages of curious glimpses into the mind of a veteran.  Reger weaves a suspenseful tale through the story of love and self-discovery.  Ignore the boring cover; you will find an enjoyable tale in “The Girl on the Bridge.”  I recommend it. 

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