Author:Noah Hawley
This novel was published in hardback last year, receiving some very good reviews at the time. A paperback edition is due in the next few weeks. The author is perhaps best known as the creator and writer of the Fargo TV series.
This was a book I was initially a bit dubious about, as it didn’t seem quite my thing, but in the end it was one I simply couldn’t put down!
It tells of a private jet, which crashes on a short flight to New York. The only survivors are a last minute addition to the passenger list and a four-year-old boy, who manage to swim to safety. The dead passengers include two millionaires – a media mogul and a Wall Street financier, generating huge media interest. As the story unfolds, the past lives of all the passengers and crew are examined in forensic detail while the media make hay with the story – why did the plane crash, who was responsible, was it an accident or something more sinister, how could the two main protagonists have survived?
In the end, the explanation is almost an anti–climax, but that is not the main thrust of this novel. I think the author is more concerned with the way the media works, and how a hero can suddenly and swiftly be turned into an apparent villain, how information and hard facts can become subsumed into entertainment.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
If you enjoy a good thriller then give this a try – an author I wasn’t previously aware of, but will certainly look out for in future..
One thing you’ve learned
I can really recommend this book – it gripped me from start to finish, and although it’s a cliche, it’s one of those reads you almost can’t bear to put down – you just want to keep turning the pages to discover what happens next.
davidks says
I loved this book, the way it was structured was excellent. I too, couldn’t put the book down.
mikethep says
Thirded – I’ve just finished it. Although it’s a thriller of sorts, don’t expect Lee Child. It was the human interest I found most gripping.