Bridge Daughter by Jim Nelson

On today's episode of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I had the pleasure of speaking with Jim Nelson about his book Bridge Daughter.  This book has one of the more unique story concepts that I've encountered, and I was intrigued from the moment I read the blurb on the back of the book:

Source

Hanna Driscoll thinks her thirteenth birthday will be no different than the one before—until her mother explains the facts of life. Hanna is a “bridge daughter,” born pregnant with her parents’ child. In a few months she will give birth and die, leaving her parents with their true daughter.

A mature bookworm who dreams of college and career, Hanna is determined to overcome her biological fate. Navigating a world eerily like our own, she confronts attitudes and fears as old as humankind itself.

Then Hanna learns of an illegal procedure that will allow her to live to adulthood…at the cost of the child’s life. (Source)

This book sucked me in right away and I was compelled to finish it to find out what choices Hanna would make. I wasn't quite so sure what I thought of the ending when I first finished, but it definitely kept me thinking long after I was done reading, and for me that is one of the signs of a good book.

Hanna is the type of heroine I enjoy: she's a bookworm and heads straight to a book when she wants to know the answer to something (the story is set in the early 80s, so no internet). In many ways she is a typical 13 year old girl, but in others she is mature beyond her years, and she truly tries to see all sides of the moral dilemma in which she finds herself, even when everyone around her simply accepts her death as inevitable and the proper order of things.

Genres:

• Young Adult
• Science Fiction
• Dystopian

What I enjoyed:

• The uniqueness of the concept. I'm not sure how many friends and family members I've told about this book since I read the description, simply because of how fascinating I find it fascinating.
• Hanna as a main character. I rooted so hard for her throughout the story as she struggled to figure out what being a bridge daughter meant and as she sought an alternative path.
• The people Hanna meets throughout the book, all of whom give her new insight into what it means to be a bridge daughter.

Who should read Bridge Daugter?

• Fans of Young Adult stories with compelling heroines.
• Fans of dystopian science fiction.
• Anyone intrigued by the story's concept.

Quotes:

• "Hagar's curse, Erica's confinement, the blessing of the two Cheryls, twins born fourteen years apart. This was the tradition Hanna had been born into."
• "'But they would have me. I'm their child.'
  Maureen squeezed Hanna's hand tighter. 'Your mother wants the child you're carrying. That's the motherly instinct, one of the strongest instincts in the world. I've never heard of a mother seeing it any other way.'"
• "She knew the outpouring of affection and her mother's question - 'Are you okay?' - were not directed at Hanna but the child inside her. A miser hugs the lockbox tight to his chest, but he does not love the lockbox, only the precious gold inside ."

Where you can find Jim online:
Website: http://j-nelson.net/
Blog: http://j-nelson.net/blog/
Facebook: @j.nelson.net
Twitter: @_jimnelson_
Amazon: Jim Nelson
GoodReads: Jim Nelson
BookBub: @JimNelson

Author Bio:

Source

Jim Nelson’s most recent novels are Hagar’s Mother and Bridge Daughter (Kindle Press, 2016).

Other books include Everywhere Man and Edward Teller Dreams of Barbecuing People.

His work has also appeared in North American Review, Confrontation, Watchword, Instant City, and other fine venues.

He holds a B.A. in English and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. A California native, Jim lives in San Francisco. (Source)

Does Bridge Daughter sound like a book you'd like to read? You're in luck as I have 3 copies from Jim to give away! All you have to do is go to either our Facebook or Twitter pages and share the episode with Jim's interview, or go to Instagram and comment on that post. Simple as that: just comment on, share, or retweet episode 65 and you'll automatically be entered to win this wonderful book!

Facebook: @GSMCBookReview

Twitter: @gsmc_bookreview
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To hear the interview with Jim please click here.