The Dreamlife of Bridges is the debut novel from Vancouver writer Robert Strandquist. Leo is a middle-aged, divorced handyman capable of mending almost anything outside of himself. The denial of his son’s death, and his inability to deal with his own pain, has rendered his life fractured and untenable. June is a single mom struggling in the bottleneck of poverty, fighting to retain custody of her son. From their precarious vantage points they behold a world of human frailty and tenuous beauty, a place where the damaged victims of a cruel epoch might be made whole again.

Praise for The Dreamlife of Bridges:

"The Dreamlife of Bridges is a disturbing evocation of urban disconnect and despair that gains power from its refusal to look away from suffering or offer platitudes or simplistic solutions." (Quill & Quire)

"Strandquist's prose is stark and noble, and elucidates his characters' frailties like a bare light bulb […] This debut novel from the author of the story collection The Inanimate World is full of lines that will catch in your throat […] It will make you look at the city through blue-tinted glasses and flip over your own despair to seek hope." (The Georgia Straight)

"The novel features very poetic passages, fine handling of symbols, and a striking portrayal of Vancouver’s underclass." (Canadian Literature)

Robert Strandquist's work has appeared in subTerrain, The Capilano Review, Prairie Fire, Fiddlehead, Grain, Event, and Canadian Fiction Magazine. Mr. Strandquist has an MFA from the University of British Columbia and has received several writing awards, including a Canadian Authors' Association award for poetry. He grew up in Nelson, BC and now resides in Vancouver. Strandquist has one novel, The Dreamlife of Bridges, and two collections of short stories, A Small Dog Barking and The Inanimate World, published by Anvil Press.

Robert Strandquist's profile page