The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
194 pages
Fiction-India, Homelessness, Child Labor, Survival, Adventure, Friendship, Family
Lesson Plan available
Description
Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2018)
"Venkatraman’s middle-grade debut tackles sisterhood, chosen families, and loss. Eleven-year-old Viji and her sister, Rukku, flee their abusive father after he breaks Amma’s arm and kicks Rukku. They find themselves, overwhelmed, in the big city of Chennai, where they are temporarily employed by kind Teashop Aunty, who offers them bananas and vadais, and fall in love with a puppy, Kutti, who becomes their constant companion. The sisters meet Muthu and Arul, two boys who live under an abandoned bridge, and join them; Viji tells Rukku elaborate stories to reassure herself and her sister that they will be OK. Soon, Viji finds herself telling the young boys her stories as well; in return, the boys show the girls how to earn money on the streets: by scavenging for resalable trash in a very large garbage dump Muthu calls “the Himalayas of rubbish.” When tragedy strikes, it is this new family who helps Viji come to terms. Craftwise, the book is thoughtful: Venkatraman employs the second person throughout as Viji writes to Rukku, and readers will ultimately understand that Viji is processing her grief by writing their story. Viji’s narration is vivid and sensory; moonlight “slip[s] past the rusty iron bars on our window”; “the taste of half an orange…last[s] and last[s].” The novel also touches on social justice issues such as caste, child labor, and poverty elegantly, without sacrificing narrative. A blisteringly beautiful book. (Fiction. 10-14)"
My Comments
Venkatraman writes a heartbreaking story through the eyes of a young girl who is trying to survive homelessness on the streets of Chennai, India while taking care of her developmentally challenged sister. The writing is indeed vivid and sensory as mentioned in the Kirkus review. She portrays the stark contrast of wealth and poverty. Chennai is a fashionable city, ranked the ‘best city in India in 2014 which makes this story all the more heartbreaking, but also so full of love, healing, courage, and triumph.
“Chennai is ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index,[32] and was ranked the best city in India by India Today in the 2014 annual Indian city survey.[33][34] In 2015 Chennai was named the "hottest" city (city worth visiting and worth living in for long term) by the BBC, citing the mixture of both modern and traditional values.[35] National Geographic mentioned Chennai as the only South Asian city to feature in its 2015 "Top 10 food cities" list.[36] Chennai was also named the ninth-best cosmopolitan city in the world by Lonely Planet.[37] In October 2017, Chennai was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) list for its rich musical tradition.[38] More than one-third of India's automobile industry being based in the city. Home to the Tamil film industry, Chennai is also known as a major film production centre. It is one of the 100 Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under the Smart Cities Mission.[39]” (
