An emotionally charged debut novel of a family on the brink–an autistic child, his determined mother, and her distant father–who learn that when your world changes, you find out who you really are. . . .While she was growing up, Piper’s father, Lance “the Silver Eagle” Whitman, became a national hero piloting a plane through an emergency landing. But at home, he was a controlling and … controlling and overbearing presence in her life, raining emotional and verbal abuse upon the entire family.
It’s no surprise, then, that as an adult, Piper has poured all of her energy into creating a warm and loving home for her own family, while catering to her son Fred’s ever-growing idiosyncrasies.
Then Lance has a heart attack, leaving him with a brain injury–and dependent upon Piper for his care–just before tests confirm Piper’s suspicions that Fred is on the autism spectrum.
A powerful and extraordinary novel, Flying at Night gives voice to Fred, trying to find his place in a world that doesn’t quite understand him; to Lance, who’s lost what made him the man he was, for better and worse; and to Piper, who, while desperately trying to navigate the shifting landscape around her, watches as her son and father start to connect–in the most miraculous ways. . . .
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Fly at Night was emotionally pulling. I felt for Piper, I disliked her mother, I wanted to give her husband a guiding hand, and I wanted to hug her son. Piper was overwhelmed. Her mother was selfish, although with the abusive lifestyle she lived in she was due to be selfish. Her husband just needs someone to show him what to do, he wants to help but doesn’t quite know what to do. Curtis, her son, has autism and lives a full life with just some idiosyncrasies that make him sometimes hard to understand.
I felt for Piper. She is a stay at home mom with so much on her plate and she doesn’t ask for help. Piper has an autistic son, a father who is now mentally challenged after having a heart attack, and a husband who seems to want to help but doesn’t know what to do. Add to that a mother who walked away and left her to deal with everything. I am not sure how much more she could handle without crumbling.
This book was interesting, I enjoyed it. Yet, it felt like I was reading a story. I know I was but I like to fall into my books, become attached to the characters, and become invested in the plot. With Fly at Night I wasn’t as invested in the story. I enjoyed it, I wanted to know what happens, and I am glad that I took the time to read it.