Book Review: Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell

Evan S. Connell is a brilliant writer who effectively captures the priggish Mrs. Bridge, a woman who sends sweet chills up my back. Her utter disapproval of everything shuts out any joy or light, or any hope for happiness. Connell’s portrayal of Mrs. Bridge is a grim reminder that true evil, is banal, seemingly mundane, and often so steeped in good manners that evil actions are rarely identified as evil at all. The quiet evil perpetuated by Mrs. Bridge is neither hot nor cold, but a tepid moral stance that thinly disguises her dreadful fear of being alive. Mrs. Bridge is so self-contained that she often appears to be artificially contrived. Even though this book does feel as though the author painted a portrait of the mother he hated, I do commend his spare, unerring prose. Mrs. Bridge is the perfect selection for a book club composed of well-meaning women who are apt to be critical of Mrs. Bridge for the same transgressions they fail to see in themselves.