The Art of Crash Landing
Author(s): Melissa DeCarlo
From a bright new talent comes this debut novel about a young woman who travels for the first time to her mothers hometown, and gets sucked into the mystery that changed her family forever
Mattie Wallace has really screwed up this time. Broke and knocked up, shes got all her worldly possessions crammed into six giant trash bags, and nowhere to go. Try as she might, Mattie can no longer deny that she really is turning into her mother, a broken alcoholic who never met a bad choice she didnt make.
When Mattie gets news of a possible inheritance left by a grandmother shes never met, she jumps at this one last chance to turn things around. Leaving the Florida Panhandle, she drives eight hundred miles to her mothers birthplacethe tiny town of Gandy, Oklahoma. There, she soon learns that her mother remains a local mysterya happy, talented teenager who inexplicably skipped town thirty-five years ago with nothing but the clothes on her back. But the girl they describe bears little resemblance to the damaged woman Mattie knew, and before long it becomes clear that something terrible happened to her mother, and it happened here. The harder Mattie digs for answers, the more obstacles she encounters. Giving up, however, isnt an option. Uncovering what started her mothers downward spiral might be the only way to stop her own.
Hilarious, gripping, and unexpectedly wise, The Art of Crash Landing is a poignant novel from an assured new voice.
Review(s):
Stunning…DeCarlo has loudly claimed her seat at the table of todays elite contemporary Southern women writers including Joshilyn Jackson, Fannie Flagg and Sue Monk Kidd. They continue the work of literary giants like Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty and Flannery OConnor, crafting haunting stories about the peculiar, the impolite…
[A] pitch-perfect novel about family secrets, self-forgiveness and redemptionDeCarlos debut novels originality and fresh voice will endear her to readersEvery character in DeCarlos novel is complex and richly drawnthis story is so vibrant and universally human that its sad to see it end.
DeCarlo has created a compulsively likable mess of a protagonist who will keep readers laughing and cringing even as they begin really rooting for her…surprising, poignant and page-turning…a strong debut and a thoroughly entertaining read.
This first novel by an Oklahoma-born Texan is written with verve, assurance and some salty language.
THE ART OF CRASH LANDING is full of heart and sass. Its about forgiveness, self-understanding, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. Readers will root for DeCarlos goofy, sharp-tongued heroine…. This is a sparkling, funny, and moving debut.
I especially enjoyed the small-town feel of this novel, getting to know the Grandy residents, like the librarian, her snarky niece and the wheelchair-bound lawyer who help (and hinder) Mattie in her quest. The humor and humanity shine through in this delightful debut.
Grief, laughter, sarcasm, heartache, sadnessMelissa DeCarlos debut novel has it all. Starting out with light-hearted humor thanks to the narration of its spunky protagonist, THE ART OF CRASH LANDING evolves into a compelling, genuine story about a womans search for her identity.
A success…Mattie made me laugh with some of her sarcastic remarks and her self-deprecating humor.
In this tender story of self-discovery and forgiveness, Mattie uneraths secrets about the alcoholic mom she realizes she never really knew.
I fell in love with Mattie, with all her sass, her snark, her bad ass ways. The best compliment I can give this talented new author? I wish I had written this novel. You nailed it, Melissa DeCarlo. And you deserve legions of very happy readers.
Oklahoma Center For the Book Award Finalist
ISBN:9780062390547
