Rating: 
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Penguin Modern Classics) (1927) by Thornton Wilder
To discuss the question ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ in so short a story is a feat in itself, but also should bring a wider audience to a question of universal importance. First published in 1927, the book deserves to be better known.
This is a story that stays with you, and even though Wilder has been compared with Milton, I think, in explaining the ways of God to Man, the book is unpretentious and is enjoyable for its own sake, whether you are religious or not.