Blackbox by Nick Walker
This was a strange little book. Very different than anything I’ve read, but also the ending, which I should have caught on to earlier, made me think ewww, ick! Mind you, horror doesn’t usually gross me out, and only three books of the literally thousands I have read in my life have ever made me shut them because I was a little freaked out. Yes, I did then open them again, and continue, but each gave me pause. This one would have too, had I caught on earlier.
The title refers to the “black box” – although it is actually orange – we always hear about investigators searching for in airline disasters. The story is set around several characters, all involved or somehow connected to aviation – an ex-stewardess, pilot, air-traffic controller, people afraid of flying trying to get help, therapists (or a fake therapist) trying to deal with the anxieties and phobias … The story is set in 840 chapters, so many are very brief. It is an engaging novel to read, especially as it keeps shifting voices, characters and perspectives, and I was curious as to how it all would fit together eventually.
Even as I read it, this story seemed to play out like a movie in my head, and I could easily picture it being made into one … Then I reached the ending, and was horrified at the thought of it ever being filmed. Read it if you want, particularly if air travel fascinates, delights or scares you, but don’t say I didn’t warn you …