Author: Noah Hawley
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: 5/31/16
Version Reviewed: digital ARC courtesy of NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★★
A plane crashes into the ocean during a seemingly routine flight from Martha's Vineyard to the mainland. No one knows why it went down, or why two people survived while the rest plunged down to the murky water's bottom. The survivors, Scott Boroughs and JJ Bateman are bound together by tragedy but have little else in common. Scott is a middle-aged recovering alcoholic who is trying to eek out a living painting disaster scenes. Both the object of his artwork and the circumstances that landed him on a millionaire's private jet become public speculation in the days following the crash. JJ is four years old, the child of a media mogul and now the sole heir to his parents' fortune. Now a multi-millionaire himself, the child becomes a pawn in family and media drama. The 24/7 media spin cycle plays a huge role in this book. How far will cable news go to feed the public's thirst for controversy and sensation, even when there's no news to report? Does the media's right to report "the truth" outstrip a victim's privacy rights? Or do the ends always justify the means?
Despite being billed as the thriller of the year, this isn't a good example of one. Nor is it a mystery novel-- yes, there's the question of what really happened to the plane, but in a sense it's besides the point. I think of this book as suspense-- the thriller's more cerebral and subdued cousin. It's a page turner in its own right, even if the pacing is a bit slow at times. Some of the villain characters are a little too one-dimensional, but the others are well-developed. Overall a great read.
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