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Questions follow the accident. Soon it becomes clear that the crash’s impact will not
only change the family’s future, but its past as well.
I’m not really
going out on a limb here to say that this Oprah Book Club selection is indeed a good
read. Begin with a situation that most of us must wonder about sometime when such
disasters occur. Shreve then takes this tale and invents something else. This is a
well-written, guilt-free yarn.
James Patterson or Chuck Palahniuk fans
might want to pass this one by.
Out of a dozen quick testimonials on the cover and
front pages, only one was written by a guy, which makes sense given the emotional terrain
of the story. I doubt whether many male readers will reach for this one, but I liked it a
lot.
Here’s a quick sample. Recalling her “good” marriage, Kathryn
remembers this as well:
“But actually she thought that any marriage was
like radio reception: It came and went. Occasionally, it — the marriage, Jack — would
be clear to her. At other times, there would be interference, a staticky sound between
them. At those times, it would be as though she couldn’t quite hear Jack, as though the
messages to her were drifting in the wrong direction through the
stratosphere.”
Shreve’s writing clarifies Kathryn’s internal trauma. You
don’t see the character stumble through her days and nights, you feel what its like to
stumble along with her, to make each startling discovery, to unravel the threads of your
family life until you find your hands are open and empty.
I had my
paperback copy (just under 300 pages) read in two days. That’s my basic test of a good
read, and The Pilot’s Wife passes with honors.
