Under the Bridge

Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey

For the those who like to read true crime, this one is intriguing. In a small Canadian community seemingly ordinary teenagers turn into murderers. Teenage girls plot to beat up 14-year old Reena Virk. The plan goes terribly awry when it turns into a heartless murder. These kids then keep this a secret for over a week.

Rebecca Godfrey brings this tragic murder to the page in a gripping and moving way. She conducts interviews with the people directly involved and the story unfolds from multiple perspectives. She attempts to give the reader an understanding of each of the key players in what happened. This is especially true of Warren, one of the convicted murderers. She attempts to show the human side of him and the psychology of how one very wrong decision alters so many lives. At times I even felt Reena Virk was minimized in the recount, as it leaned more toward the psychology of her killers.

I am not terribly familiar with the way the Canadian justice systems works. After finishing this book I did more research on what has happened to the people convicted of this murder. This was the first time I read about restorative justice and the role it plays in Canada. Warren is already out of prison. Kelly, the other defendant, was still wrapped up in appeals. She is the one that is clearly disturbed. T

his led me to question if restorative justice works and how it works. More research for me.