Elyse Bearden is unhappily married to Phil, a husband who leaves Post-it notes instead of having conservations with his wife. While the two live separate lives, only on occasion coming together when it involves their young daughter, Elyse struggles with the idea of getting a divorce. She and her friends live the surburbia housewife lives: having bake sales and book club meetings and dinner parties. What would happen to her friendships, and what the others in the town think of her?
On a flight home from Phoenix, Elyse meets Gerry Kincaid on the plane, and not before long, begins a torrid affair with the also-married Gerry. The secret escapes, hotel visits, and late night phone calls allow both Elyse and Gerry to have an escape from their failing marriages. Elyse confides only in her best friend Kelly, who also once carried on an affair with a married man. Kelly does her best in trying to warn Elyse that affairs often lead to heartbreak, and Elyse’s case- could cost her custody of her daughter.
Love in Mid Air, the debut novel from Kim Wright, offers a fresh take on marriage, love, family, and the meaning of friendship. Not too often do we read about the wives having the affair, usual the husband is grazing in greener pastures and the wife needs to pick up the pieces. Though I have never been on the giving or receiving end of an affair, much less been married, I felt I really connected with the main character and the emotions she was feeling. At many times, it seemed she didn’t feel guilty about her adulterous way, which may not be “right” but made her seem that much more real. Wright’s deeply personal writing on her character’s life is what made me like this book so much. I also loved the friendship between Elyse and Kelly, that sub plot made for such an entertaining and wild escape. The only reasons why I can’t give Love in Mid Air a five star rating is because I felt the affair started off way too quickly, without enough back story on the main character to understand why she so calmly began the affair, and because the plot got a little to jumpy between past and present at times. Other than those two details, I loved it and can’t wait to read more from Kim Wright.
Rating: 4/5
I read this a few months ago and really enjoyed it. It was frustrating in a number of ways, but perhaps because it was so believable. If you liked this, you might also like Kylie Ladd’s After the Fall. 🙂