The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Thornton Wilder · 1897–1975 · United States

Why it matters

A Peruvian bridge collapses in 1714, killing five strangers, and a friar spends years asking whether their deaths held any pattern of meaning. Wilder's brief, luminous novel made metaphysical inquiry into a bestseller and won the Pulitzer at thirty.

At a glance

Clear, classical prose despite braided character studies packed into short chapters.