Turbulence

A clever and poignant read in a teeny-tiny package.

I have never been a lover of short stories, but David Szalay may have me rethinking my long-held aversion to this genre. I have tried reading short stories over the years, but they just weren't my jam and I always finished them feeling dissatisfied and disconnected from the characters. But after watching Canadian author Jael Richardson's video review of Turbulence on Instagram recently, my interest was piqued. 

In its mere 140 pages, Szalay shares brief glimpses into the lives of twelve characters. These little micro stories are only 10-15 pages each and while I didn't have time to have emotional connections to the characters, I enjoyed these brief encounters and seeing how their lives briefly entangle, as one character's life touches on the next character's life and so on.

Within these short snapshots of life, Szalay introduces several issues: cheating spouses, loss, prejudice, familial relationships and struggles that show in brief, but poignant snapshots how connections with others can be made in the briefest of moments. 

This was a clever, well-executed and poignant read in a teeny-tiny package. I loved its unique structure, its chapter titles that used airport code destinations and with its engaging topics, this book will give readers much food for thought. Highly recommended.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: David Szalay

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Canadian, Short Story

Type and Source: Trade Paperback from public library 

Pages: 144

Publisher: McLelland and Stewart

First Published: July 16, 2019

Opening Lines: On the way home from the hospital, she asked 

him if he wanted her to stay. 'No, I'll be fine,' he said.

Book Description from GoodReads: From the acclaimed, Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author of All That Man Is, a stunning, virtuosic novel about twelve people, mostly strangers, and the surprising ripple effect each one has on the life of the next as they cross paths while in transit around the world.

A woman strikes up a conversation with the man sitting next to her on a plane after some turbulence. He returns home to tragic news that has also impacted another stranger, a shaken pilot on his way to another continent who seeks comfort from a journalist he meets that night. Her life shifts subtly as well, before she heads to the airport on an assignment that will shift more lives in turn.

In this wondrous, profoundly moving novel, Szalay's diverse protagonists circumnavigate the planet in twelve flights, from London to Madrid, from Dakar to Sao Paulo, to Toronto, to Delhi, to Doha, en route to see lovers or estranged siblings, aging parents, baby grandchildren, or nobody at all. Along the way, they experience the full range of human emotions from loneliness to love and, knowingly or otherwise, change each other in one brief, electrifying interaction after the next.

Written with magic and economy and beautifully exploring the delicate, crisscrossed nature of relationships today, Turbulence is a dazzling portrait of the interconnectedness of the modern world.