THE BRIDGE ON BEER RIVER

Praise for THE BRIDGE ON BEER RIVER

The characters in The Bridge on Beer River drink too much, fight for survival, and fight one another while clinging to friendship and humor. Terry Tierney plies the blue-collar desperation and heroism of William Kennedy with fast-moving prose reminiscent of Raymond Chandler!

—Lee Kravetz, author of The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.

As Curt, an ex-Marine living in Reagan-era Binghamton, NY, struggles to find his way, he crosses paths with colorful down-and-outers, sharp women, and hardened characters. With his heart in the past but his eye on the future, he tries to improve himself by learning computer technology at the dairy which eventually lays him off. Down on his luck again, and short on cash, he makes do by working for a local bookie in between beers at his favorite bar. Others offer money, advice, and the use of a battered set of wheels, but only Curt can help himself. Then, a chance to flee the industrial decay of upstate New York comes his way, but will he take it? Written in tight, unsentimental prose, with wry, crackling dialog, The Bridge on Beer River reminds us of the value of friendship, believing in yourself, and the lure of that one big gamble that could really pay off.

—Anne Leigh Parrish, author of An Open Door

Reading Terry Tierney’s novel-in-stories, The Bridge on Beer River, is to remember what I love about fiction. Tierney does, in fact, tell tales, but he tells them with a writerly voice that can only result in that most precious outcome: honest deception. He builds a bridge between perspectives, between moments and crises, between characters, between writer and reader, and continuously—relentlessly—reminds me that a bridge is very rarely crossed just once. And there is, especially in the upstate New York of this novel, always a toll to be paid. Tierney creates a nearly perfect antihero in Curt, the lager-swilling, B-list Romeo who channels the best bits of Bukowski and James Dean. Likewise, the author creates a reality so convincing and inescapable that as the novel progresses, I stupidly hope the world is not ending. I begin to root for more breakups, more hangovers, more derelict dreams. And, as Tierney so masterfully uses as a visual metaphor, more African violets. Tierney has written a human novel, free of self-importance and pretense. This is a gripping book by one of the finer fiction writers I know.

—Andy Smart, author of The More You Hate Me

About TERRY TIERNEY

Terry Tierney is a writer who hails from the Midwest, but has planted roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. After serving in the Seabees, he completed his BA and MA at Binghamton University; Tierney completed a PhD in Victorian Literature at Emory University. For years, he taught college composition and creative writing courses, and survived several Silicon Valley startups as a software engineer. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Michaelyn Burnette, a Librarian from the University of California, their son, and their goofy Golden Retriever. Tierney’s work has appeared in countless publications. Lucky Ride (Unsolicited Press), an irreverent Vietnam-era road novel is set to release in 2022. More can be learned at  http://terrytierney.com.