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A review by krislea
Flying at Night by Rebecca L. Brown
2.0
The ending saved this book for me. It is written from three perspectives: an elementary-aged child on the autism spectrum, his mother Piper, and his problematic grandfather. Grandpa was a terror to his family for most of his life, but then suffers a brain injury and it’s his family that must decide what to do with him. Piper deals with this while coping with her son's autism diagnosis.
I initially cringed at the male perspectives because they seemed so inauthentic. I also found it difficult to get into the mother's perspectives because her actions just seemed so disingenuous and illogical. But, towards the end, the story successfully wraps up into an emotional conclusion that neatly solves all of the loose ends. On reflection, I would describe the book as very raw and honest -- the characters are very imperfect, occasionally to the point of frustration in Piper's case, but they try. And don't we all?
I initially cringed at the male perspectives because they seemed so inauthentic. I also found it difficult to get into the mother's perspectives because her actions just seemed so disingenuous and illogical. But, towards the end, the story successfully wraps up into an emotional conclusion that neatly solves all of the loose ends. On reflection, I would describe the book as very raw and honest -- the characters are very imperfect, occasionally to the point of frustration in Piper's case, but they try. And don't we all?