by Iain Banks
First published 2004
John Orr emerges from dark waters with no memory of how he got there. Pulled from the depths after an accident, he finds himself assigned to the care of the mysterious Dr. Joyce on a colossal bridge structure. This towering construction spans unknown shores, governed by invisible authorities that no one questions. The bridge teems with life as people cluster in sectors, labor at unknown tasks, travel by bicycle and tram, kill and love in equal measure. Languages blend into incomprehensible babel around John as he tries to piece together his identity. But reality itself becomes uncertain. Is this massive bridge his true world, or something else entirely? John must determine whether he walks among solid metal and concrete, or wanders through the immaterial landscape of a damaged mind trapped within an injured body.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, mystery, contemporary, psychological-thriller, alternate-universe
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Bridge
318 pages · Paperback · TEA
Content warnings: mental-illness