FICTION

Fly Me

Little, Brown. Jun. 2017. 400p. ISBN 9780316362139. $27; ebk. ISBN 9780316362146. F
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Suzy Whitman was a born risk taker. This trait, nurtured by her dad with his love of fast cars, led Suzy from building go-karts at the age of ten to racing the junior circuit at Watkins Glen, NY. Unlike her prettier but aimless older sister, Grace, Suzy excelled in school. While Grace became an airline stewardess, Suzy sailed through her first three years as an English major at Vassar. On the strength of that success, she was selected to complete her senior year at Yale, where she fell short for the first time by failing required science courses. Shocked and feeling defeated, Suzy follows the newly married Grace across the country to the beach town of Sela del Mar, CA, and joins Grace's airline as a stewardess. The year is 1972, and Sela del Mar, a haven for drifters living loosely on the fringes, offers a heady, endless summer of music, alcohol, and drugs. Open to new experiences and adventure, Suzy flirts with danger and falls into a drug courier role. What starts as a lark turns serious when her adored father cannot afford the cancer treatment that could save his life.
VERDICT Like some commercial airline trips, this first novel rambles along on the runway, finally takes off with a blast, detours a bit here and there, but proves to be a stimulating ride.
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