It’s been a while since I’ve been solicited to review a book, so I was really pleased when I received a request to review The Bridge of Little Jeremy by Indrajit Garai. It was way out of my normal reading comfort zone, but it’s good to expose yourself to new things, right? I found it to be a well-written story with an unexpected ending. I happily give this book four out of five stars.
Little Jeremy, a 13-year-old Parisian artist with a heart problem, is schooling from home as he recovers from heart surgery. His dog, a shepherd named Leon, is his constant companion while his widowed mother works during the day. Jeremy and Leon do a lot of exploring, and after finding a set of keys in the attic, look around a hidden vault in their basement. They find an old painting by a relatively famous artist, which Jeremy decides to restore. As he restores, he heals, and The Bridge of Little Jeremy is a colorful depiction of Jeremy’s life in Paris and the process of restoration.
Although this novel wasn’t something I would have chosen (not my preferred genre or time frame), I found it to be very enjoyable. The voice of Little Jeremy is really well done, and I feel as if I’m seeing through the eyes of a mature 13-year-old boy. He doesn’t have a lot of child friends because of his absence from school, so Leon is not only a pet but a friend. We know shepherds are smart dogs, but Jeremy really characterizes Leon and treats him as he would a brother. I think a lot of Jeremy’s feelings are transferred to Leon, and I found this very amusing as well as realistic for a boy without many friends. I was very happy that nothing unfortunate happened to Leon in the book as I don’t think my heart could have handled it.
The Bridge of Little Jeremy is written in first person, through Jeremy’s eyes, and I thought the writing style reflected a child’s thought process. I didn’t love the voice as the sentences were relatively choppy, but I thought it really worked for Jeremy. If it had been an adult narrating the story I would have expected a more sophisticated sentence structure.
I got a little bogged down in the description of the scenery, but only because I’ve visited Paris briefly, and couldn’t really picture in my mind where Jeremy was going. But, through the basement painting and Jeremy’s travels, I had a good impression of the city.
The secondary characters ended up being more important than I thought they would be; I would have liked to learn more about Paolo, Jeremy’s Italian painting consultant and friend. Jeremy’s mother was a bigger secondary character as Jeremy feels like a burden since his heart surgery and finds sneaky ways to help her, like selling his sketches for money on the sly. His mother works a lot and you can feel the sense of guilt that weighs on Jeremy for being ill. For a preteen in the 21st century, he is a very mature and thoughtful boy. I imagine he had to grow up quickly with serious health issues and a single mother.
The ending of The Bridge of Little Jeremy took me by surprise and was more emotional than I thought it’d be. I won’t spoil it for you, but if you’re looking for a heartwarming book with an interesting twist ending, give this a try. Little Jeremy is an awesome kid and I think you’ll like following him and Leon as they navigate life and Paris.