Until a few weeks ago, I had no idea that this book existed. That wouldn’t be unusual because there are so, so many books out there – but this genre is right up my alley. My friend introduced me to the book – and series on HBO – and I knew I had to check it out.
There are some books that come to life on the big screen – Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games. And then there are others that faceplant for whatever reason – casting, deviation from the script, or trying to drag out a 368-page book into a full season show. Fortunately, I don’t review cinema, so I won’t bore you with the unpleasantness that is The Flight Attendant series on HBO.
Title: The Flight Attendant
Author: Chris Bohjalian
Rating: Maybe Skip the Ending
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Page Count: 368
Published: 2018
The story starts with a woman waking up in a hotel next to the dead body of her one-night stand. That should be the beginning of an interesting and wild ride, but what follows next is a series of unrealistic events. Cassie, the protagonist, makes one unbelievable misstep after another – much to her lawyer’s chagrin. It’s the story of an alcoholic flight attendant and her troubled past. It’s the story of deception and mob violence. It’s the story of…well, too much going on all at once that culminates in one pretty weird ending that will leave you scratching your head.
Several of the reviews on this book were pretty terrible. I’m not going to say that it’s great because that would be a lie, but there’s potential. I found the beginning to be pretty slow – other than the dead guy in the bed thing. It was a pretty fast read that definitely distracts from all of the crap going on in the world, so there’s that. It’s also much more believable than what’s portrayed in the HBO series, but I digress.
I would be interested in reading more of Chris Bohjalian’s works before I pass judgment on his writing style. I prefer my thrillers to be a bit more realistic, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
TL;DR
If you’re looking for a book to distract you from all of the s&*t going on in the world, this will do. If you want something super realistic with a great ending, find something else. There’s also an accompanying series on HBO in case poor casting and a few hours of torture are your thing.
If you liked this book, you might enjoy: The Stranger by Harlan Coben. That one also has a crappy series that can be found on Netflix.
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