The Golden Gate

Simon Westover, a Londoner and prize-winning bridge-designer, dreams of creating something as iconic as the Golden Gate bridge. His ambition is to link things up. But he is unaware that his self-absorption has the opposite effect on his relationships. Just after the 2008 financial crash his wife initiates a separation and he is faced with a series of crises that threaten to destabilise him altogether. His family, friends and colleagues are caught up in the turmoil that follows. Simon is, at first, oblivious to the need to change his ways. Review: How can we design a bridge if we are not able to see the gap the bridge should span? We go on a journey with Simon, a bridge designer who is blind to the deep rifts between him and others. We tumble into the intricacies of life in London with colleagues, friendships, family and the wider world. Through exploring conversations of how daily life is unfolding, Gillian Butler also gives us glimpses of people's internal mental imagery which raises startling psychological insights about what is really going on. The book delves into how external interests can reflect the internal mind, the profound paradoxes between success and failure, and the discrepancies between what is said and what is felt. Emily A Holmes, Professor Uppsala University Swedish Royal Academy of Science (KVA) and Hon Fellow Royal Academy of Arts UK