Book Review — The Flight by Julie Clark
I took forever to complete this one & even longer to review it that I started forgetting bits and pieces of it. But that's exactly what "The Flight" by Julie Clark was - a forgettable mediocre read. Not a good way to start 2024.
I read somewhere on Goodreads that we shouldn't waste much time in analysing an average work of art that didn't resonate with us in any way. And I'm going to do just that. Though I wish to justify my average rating for this otherwise raved about book.
“Claire is a high socialite married to philanthropist, Rory Cook who is stepping into the political scene. The warm & charming Mr. Cook has a dark side that emerges only behind closed doors & only Claire knows the full wrath of it. Claire also knows there’s no easy way out of this marriage. But a way out is what she wants. Eva, on the other hand, is an equally desperate woman wanting a way out of her old life. A chance meet at the airport & an impulse decision to swap plane tickets thereby swaping their lives is the only escape they see. But what awaits them on the other side of the plane journey?"
The synopsis is fresh and intriguing. It definitely peaked my interest and I went in with high hopes. I mean it's not everyday you get to swap lives with another person only for that person to probably end up in a plane crash, giving you the luckiest of lucky clean chit. Too good to be true, right? Maybe... but it's so awfully good that it is lame.
Unfortunately it turned out to be a very basic story after the major turn of events happening in the very beginning. It is flimsy in its unraveling and reasoning. The issues presented are easily resolved. Even the far fetched problems have round the block solutions. The central characters have no depth. After the initial stage the characters don't face any real obstacles, only inconveniences which are resolved as quickly as they are introduced. As there are no challenges faced, there is no room for self exploration, no redemption. Claire is so one toned that for her everything is just a means to an end. And why was Eva present in the story, apart from giving Claire a chance to escape? In the end her elaborate tale bore no significance.
The problem lies in the book's labeling. It's passed on as a suspense thriller which it isn't. It does pack a few twists but they're not substantial enough for it to be categorised in this genre. It's more of a survivor story. A tale of abused and exploited women. Basically women telling women stories... in an extremely sloppy way.
A snoozefest to say the least.
