Aloft

Aloft by Chang-Rae Lee tells the tale of Jerry Battle who is occasionally physically aloft in his airplane but often personally aloft as he reviews his life: his wife, his mistress, his two children, his father, his jobs, his friends. This detachment unravels a humorous plot recounting loneliness, problems, and tragedy. The four generations of family reveal quirks and prompt sympathies. The light laughter covers up the pain; the underlying tension of family relationships creates a univerality of the human condition ranging from birth to marriage to death. These emotions are wrapped in a run-on style of writing. Sentences run on and lead to stories and memories which run on. The writing takes getting used to but eventually pulls you into the story.