Bridge of Clay

When Clay is 13, he runs barefoot through the streets in the dead of night, looking for his father. Earlier that year, Penelope died of cancer, and at the ceremony, Clay found a clothes pin that he carries for years to follow. Michael becomes emotionally distant from his sons. He avoids them, sitting in the garage or in his car for hours. Matthew increasingly takes over financial and emotional responsibilities. Clay tries to draw their father out of his stupor, but within six months, Michael leaves.

Clay returns to the city on the weekends that the Murderer (Michael) is working in the mines, but the rest of their time is devoted to the bridge. They purchase a radio so Clay can listen to the races. When at home, Clay and Carey spend their Saturday nights together, and during other times, he watches movies with his brothers. Carey places well in the races, finally winning when she listens to the advice of her coach on a particularly rainy day. Clay is in the city to watch her second first-place win, and they share a rare public embrace.

The Dunbar boys are filled with hurt and confusion at their father’s departure. Clay takes to the streets at night, searching for him. Exercise eases his anxiety. His brothers try to chase him down, either wrestling him to drag him back home or beating him upon his return. Finally, Matthew forces Clay out onto the roof, telling him he will never find Michael because of how big the city is.

One Saturday, Carey gets to ride in a veteran race on a horse named Cootamundra because all other jockeys are booked, and the original rider is injured. Clay and his father stop work to listen to the race, celebrating her victory. Carey continues to ride Cootamundra after winning four races but is ultimately passed up for the prestigious spring races after placing second.

Each of the Dunbar boys struggles to survive in their own way. Clay takes to training and sitting on the roof. Rory intentionally gets expelled from school, which inadvertently introduces Matthew to Claudia. Henry devotes himself to money-making schemes, each more successful than the last. Tommy gets lost looking for the museum. Matthew starts joining Clay during his training sessions.

Because Carey has been shirked by Cootamundra’s owner, her trainer, Ennis McAndrew, gives her the weekend off. The Murderer (Michael) drives Clay to the train station that Friday and gives him an envelope to give Carey. Clay and Carey listen to the races, then see a movie and hold hands. That night at The Surrounds, Clay recites every horse Carey has ever loved. When they walk home, Clay gives him the envelope from his father; it contains a picture of Clay building the bridge.

Thirteen-year-old-Clay joins athletics, the Australian equivalent to track-and-field, where he easily outperforms the other boys. At home, chaos and fighting continue to reign; Matthew and Clay continue their early morning training. They finally take Tommy to the museum, where they are each haunted by memories of Penelope. Clay and Matthew get the idea to adopt animals in the hopes of helping Tommy heal; they bring home a cat and begin the habit of naming animals after mythological heroes by naming him Hector. The next day, they go to see the mule for sale.

When Clay returns to the Murderer’s (Michael’s) house, he confesses that building the bridge helps him forget his mother. He opens up about mourning and loss until his father hugs him. They resume working on the bridge; later, Clay finally asks his father to tell him about Michelangelo’s artwork.

Although most of the boys hate Hector, Tommy’s love for him eases his presence in the house. Clay excels at athletics and Matthew struggles to develop new ways to train him. One night, Hector escapes the house, and they spend the night scouring the neighborhood for him. Clay and Matthew spend the next day searching the classifieds. They find a dog to bring home and when they arrive, Hector has returned and is waiting on the porch. Tommy names the dog Rosy. The pigeon and goldfish are subsequently purchased as a Christmas gift later in the year.

Chootamundra does not perform well at the Group One races, and the next season starts with Carey as his rider, making her an increasingly sought-after jockey. In Silver, the Murderer (Michael) tells Clay stories from his childhood. The first rain of the season is small and does not wash away their work. Carey is slotted to ride in the race on Easter Monday. Clay returns to the city to have a lighter engraved for Carey. They meet in The Surrounds, where Carey expresses her nerves. Clay gives her the gift with instructions to not open it until Monday. The day of the race, the Dunbar boys all go to the track, watching Carey win first place. At home, Carey reads Clay’s letter, then goes to The Surrounds where he is waiting.

A younger Clay makes Matthew promise that if he wins State in athletics, they will buy the mule. On the anniversary of Penelope’s death, the boys skip school and work to visit her grave and clean up the house. Matthew reads aloud from The Odyssey. Clay cuts his feet by running barefoot across glass at the Bernborough track, and Matthew shows him old Olympian running footage to show him how to wrap his feet in tape. Although the boys suffer hardships, they grow closer and gradually settle into life without their parents. Matthew and Clay ritualize taping his feet. The Dunbar boys dump their parents’ bed in The Surrounds, where it becomes the bed that Clay and Carey lay on during their Saturday visits. Clay wins State. That night, he lays in The Surrounds and talks to his absent parents.