A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove is a story about the difficult life of Carl Matt, a fifteen year old whose family is falling apart. He succeeds in making a life for himself at Wattle Beach, and, as the blurb says, “...Becomes an unlikely hero whom readers will care about and remember.” This compelling story draws us into Carl’s life, and details the struggles he encounters at Wattle Beach as he goes to great lengths to appease others, and keeps busy looking after Harley, his troublesome younger brother.
The stereotypical hero is tall, dark and handsome and has many admirers, which is in stark contrast to Carl who is described as “…A box on stumpy legs [with] no separate chest or stomach, no waist or buttocks. Just flesh.” Carl is also shunned by his family, and has no friends until mid-way through the book, when he meets Joy Duncan, who offers Carl a much-needed job and treats him with respect. Through Joy, Maddie, Justine and Skip, Carl learns how it feels to be wanted and needed by his peers. The traditional hero is often envied by others, while Carl is looked down upon and envies others around him, who are often in more fortunate positions than he.
However, it is not just in the physical sense that Carl is atypical of a hero. He has an inability to express himself to others, which causes people to misconstrue his true personality, and treat him without respect and without consideration to his feelings. Carl is a pacifist and likes to avoid conflict, which is often contrary to his need for justice. This is shown as he avoids conflict with Beryl when he bribes her with the lure of money to prevent her from hitting Harley.
Despite all this, Carl finds a unique way to touch reader’s hearts, by overcoming these obstacles to grow as a person and enthrall readers in his quest for acceptance in Wattle Beach and Wiseman’s Cove. During his journey, he faces emotional obstacles, which we all eventually will have to confront, which makes this story one that...