'The Invisible Bridge' Marks a Powerful Debut

Julie Orringer's impassioned first novel documents an oft-forgotten tragedy within the familiar literary topic of World War II and the Holocaust. Mixing religion and historical fact with a compelling narrative, The Invisible Bridge paints a stunning picture of world history through compelling characters and the complicated relationships of a family of Hungarian Jews. This 2010 release centers on Andras Levi, a young Hungarian studying architecture in France until his life is cruelly disrupted by anti-Jewish laws in Hungary that revoke his scholarship. After a mentor finds a way for Andras to remain in school, he meets the lady who will become his wife, a fellow Hungarian living in Paris. The two fall quickly and desperately in love despite Andras' concerns about the woman's mysterious past. As the horrific events of the late 1930s become more prominent, the couple returns to Hungary. They are soon entrapped in the Nazis' increasingly powerful grasp and forced to face the horrors of impending genocide.

Orringer is the author of the best-selling short-story collection How to Breathe Underwater. In her debut full-length novel, Orringer provides a window into the shocking, heart-rending daily lives of Hungarian Jews in the years leading up to World War II.  The Invisible Bridge weaves an all-too-real fictional drama that is at once an epic family saga of three brothers, a meticulously researched historical cliffhanger, and a classic old-fashioned romance.

Orringer will visit Boswell Book Co. on Friday, April 29, at 7 p.m.  Her appearance will follow a short presentation by Boswell owner and manager Daniel Goldin that will highlight new titles for book-club enthusiasts.