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The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg
Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is -- only that she will never be good enough. On the bridge, there are four things that could happen: Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't.Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't. They both jump. Neither of them jumps. Or maybe all four things happen, in this astonishing and insightful novel from Bill Konigsberg.
Review from Booklist Reviews:
Two teens-Tillie and Aaron-are standing on the George Washington Bridge, ready to jump and end it all. Tillie is adopted, a chubby Korean in a slim white family, feeling like she just isn't good enough at anything to truly matter. Aaron is Caucasian, gay, depressed, and lonely, living with his father while his mother pursues her own dreams far away. When the two see each other on the bridge, four possibilities unfold before them: Either Aaron or Tillie jumps, leaving the other behind; they both jump; neither of them jumps. This thought-provoking examination of depression, loneliness, suicide, family, friendship, and hope is both uplifting and terrifying. Aaron's journey from depression to mania can be hard to read at times, as can the events that lead Tillie to the bridge, but at the same time, none of what is included is done so for sensationalism or shock value. With each narrative thread focusing on Aaron or Tillie, along with brief vignettes highlighting the lives of those they are close to, Konigsberg (The Music of What Happens, 2019) constructs an intricate tale brimming with questions and possibilities. Messy, complicated, and sometimes alarmingly candid, this is a poignant, sincere look at the many ways mental illness affects young people, as well as those they know and love.
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