So…I didn’t like this book, at all. I stuck with it because it is the center square of Cannonball Read Bingo. But Craig Ferguson’s Between the Bridge and the River isn’t good. Two times the author refers to the two main characters with the statement “He had become interesting.” That is not correct. Neither of the two main characters is interesting, ever. One character, Fraser, is a preacher on a late night religious program whose career ends in disgrace when he is accused of sexually harassing a woman. Through his character, I learned about the different types of hookers you can hire in Las Vegas. I neither wanted nor needed this information.
The other character, George, has terminal cancer and leaves his wife of many years for a French woman but it’s okay because he is in love with her. I could not roll my eyes hard enough. These two people have lots of the best missionary sex ever. (Cue more eye rolling.) There’s also two brothers who found a church in the south. Most of the time this part felt like a completely different story, then at the very end, Fraser meets them. This matters very little.
The only part I found remotely interesting was 28 (!) chapters in when both characters are dead and going through a version of Dante’s Inferno. Let’s discuss what I did not like the most about this book: all of the women are props. And once Fraser finds his calling (or whatever) he’s referred to as a rabbi. That’s not how that works. This is a case of a man trying too hard to be interesting and thoughtful. And just SAYING your characters are interesting does not make it true. I will say, I did enjoy have the author read the book (he has a nice voice), so that’s why it gets one star instead of zero.
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