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A review by shrutinaik
Flying at Night by Rebecca L. Brown
5.0
Flying at Night is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It's realistic and heartbreaking; the kind of book that you wouldn't want to finish in one sitting because you wish to fully and slowly experience the emotions you feel as you read it.
The story follows the lives of Piper, a stay-at-home mom; her nine-year-old son, Fred, who doesn't make friends easily and obsesses over subjects like planes and World War II for extended periods of time before something else grabs his attention; and Piper's emotionally abusive father, Lance, who is a pilot. He is also known as The Silver Eagle, a name that was given to him after he made an emergency landing that saved the lives of all the passengers aboard.
Piper remembers her childhood as a living hell. Her father constantly yelled at everyone in the house—berating them for their mistakes, never applauding or rewarding them for their achievements, just expressing his disappointment any chance that he got. She remembers the relief they would all feel when he was flying and wasn't at home. There were times they wished he was dead but they never dared to say that out loud. Piper always wondered why her mother didn't just leave him but she never found an answer.
When Lance gets a heart attack after a game of squash, due to the lack of oxygen to his brain, he is declared brain dead. But when his brain starts to show some activity, the doctors deem it a miracle and he lives. Piper's mother confesses that she was relieved at the thought of him dying but now that he didn't, she can't look after him anymore. So Piper is left to tend to her father who has lost all his memories and has become a shell of his former self.
"…all I could think about was how this meek creature beside me felt little like the monster I had grown up with."
Lance is like a child. He can't tie his shoe laces and he doesn't recognize his own dog. When he questions Piper about things that happened in the past, Piper answers honestly and he can't bring himself to imagine he would have done such cruel things. The memories come back slowly and with each one, he doesn't recognize the man that he was.
"The doctor told me once that my memory would come back in pieces, but maybe not all of it. I hope the good parts come back last because I am still waiting."
While Piper is left to take care of her father, she is informed by her son's psychologist that Fred has high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. She blames herself for not having realized it sooner and struggles to work through the myriad of her thoughts and emotions. During this time, Fred and Lance develop an adorable friendship that helps them both fight their loneliness.
Piper worries about the kind of life that lies ahead for Fred, whether he could ever have a normal one. She dreads the day her father would regain all his memories and turn back into the monster that he once was. Flying at Night tells the story of this trio in the most beautiful way possible.
A majority of the PoVs are Piper's with the occasional ones belonging to Fred and Lance. The immediate switch in narration is utterly remarkable, a testament to Rebecca Brown's magnificent writing skills. She has managed to capture the complexity of human emotions with astonishing accuracy. The characters are flawed, making them realistic. There are things you hate and love about each of them but you empathize all the same.
Brown has shared in her author's note that, just like Piper, she too had a hard time when her son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.
Flying at Night is an ode to mothers who fight impossible battles for their children every day without blinking, go to sleep and get up and do the same again. We never know the hidden struggles that others are waging unless we bring our own pain and heartache out of the darkness and share it. We share it for one reason: so others know they are not alone.
I am surprised that this book hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves because this one's a masterpiece. I highly recommend it.
[Thank you Fergus for recommending this one!]
The story follows the lives of Piper, a stay-at-home mom; her nine-year-old son, Fred, who doesn't make friends easily and obsesses over subjects like planes and World War II for extended periods of time before something else grabs his attention; and Piper's emotionally abusive father, Lance, who is a pilot. He is also known as The Silver Eagle, a name that was given to him after he made an emergency landing that saved the lives of all the passengers aboard.
Piper remembers her childhood as a living hell. Her father constantly yelled at everyone in the house—berating them for their mistakes, never applauding or rewarding them for their achievements, just expressing his disappointment any chance that he got. She remembers the relief they would all feel when he was flying and wasn't at home. There were times they wished he was dead but they never dared to say that out loud. Piper always wondered why her mother didn't just leave him but she never found an answer.
When Lance gets a heart attack after a game of squash, due to the lack of oxygen to his brain, he is declared brain dead. But when his brain starts to show some activity, the doctors deem it a miracle and he lives. Piper's mother confesses that she was relieved at the thought of him dying but now that he didn't, she can't look after him anymore. So Piper is left to tend to her father who has lost all his memories and has become a shell of his former self.
"…all I could think about was how this meek creature beside me felt little like the monster I had grown up with."
Lance is like a child. He can't tie his shoe laces and he doesn't recognize his own dog. When he questions Piper about things that happened in the past, Piper answers honestly and he can't bring himself to imagine he would have done such cruel things. The memories come back slowly and with each one, he doesn't recognize the man that he was.
"The doctor told me once that my memory would come back in pieces, but maybe not all of it. I hope the good parts come back last because I am still waiting."
While Piper is left to take care of her father, she is informed by her son's psychologist that Fred has high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. She blames herself for not having realized it sooner and struggles to work through the myriad of her thoughts and emotions. During this time, Fred and Lance develop an adorable friendship that helps them both fight their loneliness.
Piper worries about the kind of life that lies ahead for Fred, whether he could ever have a normal one. She dreads the day her father would regain all his memories and turn back into the monster that he once was. Flying at Night tells the story of this trio in the most beautiful way possible.
A majority of the PoVs are Piper's with the occasional ones belonging to Fred and Lance. The immediate switch in narration is utterly remarkable, a testament to Rebecca Brown's magnificent writing skills. She has managed to capture the complexity of human emotions with astonishing accuracy. The characters are flawed, making them realistic. There are things you hate and love about each of them but you empathize all the same.
Brown has shared in her author's note that, just like Piper, she too had a hard time when her son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.
Flying at Night is an ode to mothers who fight impossible battles for their children every day without blinking, go to sleep and get up and do the same again. We never know the hidden struggles that others are waging unless we bring our own pain and heartache out of the darkness and share it. We share it for one reason: so others know they are not alone.
I am surprised that this book hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves because this one's a masterpiece. I highly recommend it.
[Thank you Fergus for recommending this one!]