Love in Mid Air [Hardcover]

 

 

Create your own review

Elyse Bearden is on a flight on the way back from a pottery show when she makes a decision that will change her life. She switches seats with a stranger and ends up sitting next to Gerry, the man who will cause her to question everything that she's ever believed in. After a brief but chemistry-filled encounter with him, she returns home to her passive husband Phil, her fulfilling pottery business, and her young daughter Tori, but suddenly things don't look the same as they always have.

Weeks later, Elyse finally gathers enough courage to call Gerry. The chemistry between them is still there, and they meet up in a hotel. Their affair has officially begun. In the next months Elyse alternates between trying to save her failing marriage while falling for Gerry. Her friends and fellow book-club members try to convince her of all that she will lose by walking out of her marriage, and by doing so spark heated discussions about their own flawed personal lives. Ultimately Elyse must decide if all that she will gain by walking out on her marriage will be worth all that she loses.

Anyone who has ever been married knows that it's not all a walk in the park. Yes, there are good times, bordering on perfection. For every good time, there seems to be a bad time too; many marriages eventually reach the point when one contemplates walking out the other, even if that final step is never taken. Our divorce rate (almost 40% of Canadian marriages ended in divorce in 2003) should emphasize that point. "Love in Mid Air" was a reflection on marriage- the sacrifices that we make to stay married, the times when we wish that we could leave, what can be lost by staying, and what we can gain by leaving. It was interesting to me that Elyse spends much of the book giving her marriage one last shot. She attends counselling with her husband, she tries wearing sexy lingerie for him, and she tries to be more agreeable in his prescence. Yes, she's involved in an affair with Gerry at the time (including monthly hotel visits and frequent phone calls), but she's still giving her marriage one last effort. Some could argue (and some in the book do) that Elyse isn't being fair- she should either concentrate on her marriage, or she should leave Phil and concentrate on her new relationship, but I would have to say that at least she did make an effort. The fact that these continued efforts didn't work attest to the fact that her marriage really wasn't working anymore.

I only had one small problem with the book, and that was within the conclusion. A particular event occurs towards the end which wrapped things up tidily, but I felt that the particular event essentially excused Elyse from her actions. Cheating is wrong (although not always black and white), even during the last gasps of a marriage. I think that Elyse should have had to fully face the consequences of cheating on her husband.

Aside from that, I found the book enjoyable and found it very thought-provoking. It presented the institution of marriage from a variety of different directions. It would make a fantastic book club selection.

Top of the charts for this debut novel! Kim Wright has crafted a funny, true, heartbreaking look at modern marriage. Is leaving wedlock a route to happiness or must one stay? In LOVE IN MID AIR we read, " In real life, women stay. Women stay better than they do anything else."

Elyse Bearden is at the airport on her way home from a Phoenix pottery show. She's feeling good because she won a prize and sold several pieces. She's probably not looking her best as she has burrito juice on her shirt and her hair is awry because she washed it in a drinking fountain. But, apparently she looks really, really good to Gerry, an investment banker, who is seated next to her on the plane. In a matter of minutes they're sharing confidences. After landing he pulls her into a Traveler's Chapel of the Dallas airport and kisses her - "one of those kisses that gives you the feeling that you're falling, that the elevator floor has dropped out from under you..."

This is how it began, an affair that would cause Elyse to reevaluate her present life and what she wants for the future. She lives with her husband, Phil, and young daughter, Tory, in a comfortable North Carolina community. Elyse has a host of friends, primarily Kelly, the wealthy one in their book club. She and Kelly have been close for years. At home again after that earth moving kiss Elyse is absorbed in the minutia of her daily life - cookies for the church sale, baseball practice for Tory, outings with their friends, finding time for making her pots and marketing them. However, her overriding feeling is one of discontent; she is unsettled, unhappy. Phil is remote, distant, seemingly unable to understand who she is. Needless to say their sex life is less than satisfactory for her; it is a perfunctory ritual. And, she cannot forget Gerry who though also married is just a phone call away - she dials his number.

That is a decision that not only alters Elyse's life but also the lives of her friends as they reexamine their own personal relationships. Each is on the brink of 40 - what will the future hold? Could they, should they make changes?

Kim Wright has penned a witty, wise, and wonderful story of love in all its ramifications. Her observations are newly minted, shedding light in formerly dusty corners. LOVE IN MID AIR is a dynamite debut!

- Gail Cooke

I really enjoyed this book. The characters and plot were very well developed and the storyline revolving Elyse was very real-to-life. I know that although I am not in a stage in my life where I am contemplating divorce, I have had family members and friends go through that experience. I would definitely recommend this book to those who are in crisis relationships and need some inspiration. The writing style of Love In Mid Air is very easy to read and the various sub-plots flow nicely throughout the novel. Although the ending is not your typical happy-ever-after, it was a very good ending. I have to admit this was probably not a book I would have ever picked out to read on my own, but I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it. I highly recommend it and give it a thumbs up!

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Search Listmania!