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Flight
An exhilarating new novel following Bob a divorced, middle-aged commercial pilot, running from his past after turning down a suspicious job in the Middle East.
Bob Windrush used to fly passengers, then worked for years as a 'freight dog', flying consignments of goods and sometimes people to all the corners of the world -- including bush-strips in war 'real flying,' as he called it. Until, one day, he walked away from a deal that didn't smell right -- something a freight dog should never do.
Now working as a private pilot for an Emirate prince in Dubai, he finds that moment of refusal catching up with him. Caught between those who want to find out more and those who want to cover their traces, he becomes a marked man, and flees to a remote Scottish island. Pursued by both armed assassins and a ruinous, bitter divorce, he struggles to re-fashion himself in this barren, beautiful place, taking on another identity.
But back in the world of smuggled AK-47s and heroin, the stakes are rising. Despite the presence of Judith, the alluring environmentalist, memories of his uglier flights return to haunt him. Even in the furthest Hebrides his past is with him, and the predators are closing in.
Adam Thorpe's tenth novel is an extraordinary a vertiginous, page-turning thriller and a masterful work of literary fiction. Fast, funny and very frightening, Flight shows a new facet of this most brilliant of writers.
Bob Windrush used to fly passengers, then worked for years as a 'freight dog', flying consignments of goods and sometimes people to all the corners of the world -- including bush-strips in war 'real flying,' as he called it. Until, one day, he walked away from a deal that didn't smell right -- something a freight dog should never do.
Now working as a private pilot for an Emirate prince in Dubai, he finds that moment of refusal catching up with him. Caught between those who want to find out more and those who want to cover their traces, he becomes a marked man, and flees to a remote Scottish island. Pursued by both armed assassins and a ruinous, bitter divorce, he struggles to re-fashion himself in this barren, beautiful place, taking on another identity.
But back in the world of smuggled AK-47s and heroin, the stakes are rising. Despite the presence of Judith, the alluring environmentalist, memories of his uglier flights return to haunt him. Even in the furthest Hebrides his past is with him, and the predators are closing in.
Adam Thorpe's tenth novel is an extraordinary a vertiginous, page-turning thriller and a masterful work of literary fiction. Fast, funny and very frightening, Flight shows a new facet of this most brilliant of writers.
392 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2012
8 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Adam Thorpe
52 books53 followersAdam Thorpe is a British poet, novelist, and playwright whose works also include short stories and radio dramas.
Adam Thorpe was born in Paris and grew up in India, Cameroon, and England. Graduating from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1979, he founded a touring theatre company, then settled in London to teach drama and English literature.
His first collection of poetry, Mornings in the Baltic (1988), was shortlisted for the Whitbread Poetry Award. His first novel, Ulverton (1992), an episodic work covering 350 years of English rural history, won great critical acclaim worldwide, including that of novelist John Fowles, who reviewed it in The Guardian, calling it "(...) the most interesting first novel I have read these last years". The novel was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for 1992.
Adam Thorpe lives in France with his wife and three children.
-Wikipedia
Adam Thorpe was born in Paris and grew up in India, Cameroon, and England. Graduating from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1979, he founded a touring theatre company, then settled in London to teach drama and English literature.
His first collection of poetry, Mornings in the Baltic (1988), was shortlisted for the Whitbread Poetry Award. His first novel, Ulverton (1992), an episodic work covering 350 years of English rural history, won great critical acclaim worldwide, including that of novelist John Fowles, who reviewed it in The Guardian, calling it "(...) the most interesting first novel I have read these last years". The novel was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for 1992.
Adam Thorpe lives in France with his wife and three children.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 1, 2020
The central character of this novel, Bob Winrush, is a freight pilot who has made a good living by being willing to fly missions in those parts of the World where health and safety rules are "flexibly applied" and by not asking too many questions about the nature of the cargo being carried. One day however he angers his paymasters by walking out on a particularly dodgy looking deal. A lucky break gets him a job flying a private plane for an Arab Prince, but 2 years later his past catches up with him when he is contacted by a left-wing journalist on the trail of arms and drug smugglers. All of a sudden Bob starts to hear of former crewmates dying in sudden "accidents." Another former crewmate tells him of a property he has inherited on a remote Scottish island, available for rent, and Winrush decides this is the moment for a change of name and career. Are his fears exaggerated, or are even the Outer Hebrides insufficiently far for him to hide?
I enjoyed this novel. It falls within the "thriller" category but the plot is mainly one of threat and menace rather than constant action. The second part takes place in the Outer Hebrides, a part of the country I know fairly well. The author clearly knows the islands too as he makes some razor sharp (and to me, very funny) observations about the landscapes, lifestyle and weather conditions. Surprisingly though he doesn't seem to have an ear for the local accent and speech patterns, and the spoken dialogue he attributes to the islanders includes words and phrases that belong to parts of Scotland much further south and east. For most people this will be an irrelevance though, and on balance this is a well-written novel.
I enjoyed this novel. It falls within the "thriller" category but the plot is mainly one of threat and menace rather than constant action. The second part takes place in the Outer Hebrides, a part of the country I know fairly well. The author clearly knows the islands too as he makes some razor sharp (and to me, very funny) observations about the landscapes, lifestyle and weather conditions. Surprisingly though he doesn't seem to have an ear for the local accent and speech patterns, and the spoken dialogue he attributes to the islanders includes words and phrases that belong to parts of Scotland much further south and east. For most people this will be an irrelevance though, and on balance this is a well-written novel.
December 30, 2012
Reasonably gripping, great locations, believable characters. Not bad!
January 28, 2014
I'm new to Adam Thorpe but reading this has made me want to read more. It's an excellent thriller, better in the second half than in the first, where Thorpe sustains the pace while beautifully describing the remote Scottish island where our hero is holed up, hoping to escape his would-be assassins. It has a nice twist at the end and - generally speaking - plausible characters and a believable storyline that sustain the reader's interest.
November 8, 2012
A smart, slow-burning literary thriller about a pilot who flies planes for various mysterious clients. Everything goes smoothly until he questions the cargo on one flight: the repercussions of his sudden attack of good conscience haunt him for years, and make for a suspenseful, thought-provoking read.
December 11, 2012
Quite a gripping story with interesting locales - the Outer Hebrides among them.
September 30, 2024
Bob Winrush's journey is one of redemption and escape. Haunted by his past mistakes, he seeks solace and a new identity in the remote Scottish Hebrides. The novel explores the complexities of guilt, forgiveness, and the human desire for a fresh start. Thorpe offers a glimpse into the darker side of the aviation industry, revealing the world of illegal smuggling and dangerous cargo. This adds a layer of intrigue and suspense to the story.
The Scottish Hebrides serve as a backdrop for the novel, providing a stark contrast to the chaotic world Bob is trying to escape. The beauty and isolation of the landscape contribute to the novel's atmosphere and themes of solitude and introspection. Bob's struggle to reinvent himself is a central theme of the novel. As he adopts a new identity, he must confront the ghosts of his past and decide who he wants to be. Memory plays a significant role in the story, haunting Bob and shaping his present. Thorpe skillfully explores the ways in which memories can both burden and empower individuals.
Flight offers a unique blend of adventure, suspense, and literary depth. Adam Thorpe's masterful storytelling, combined with the novel's exploration of complex themes, makes it a compelling read.
The Scottish Hebrides serve as a backdrop for the novel, providing a stark contrast to the chaotic world Bob is trying to escape. The beauty and isolation of the landscape contribute to the novel's atmosphere and themes of solitude and introspection. Bob's struggle to reinvent himself is a central theme of the novel. As he adopts a new identity, he must confront the ghosts of his past and decide who he wants to be. Memory plays a significant role in the story, haunting Bob and shaping his present. Thorpe skillfully explores the ways in which memories can both burden and empower individuals.
Flight offers a unique blend of adventure, suspense, and literary depth. Adam Thorpe's masterful storytelling, combined with the novel's exploration of complex themes, makes it a compelling read.
April 3, 2018
Adam Thorpe came to my notice last year when I read 'Ulverton' - a random punt of a novel. This sounded, from the blurb, very different and close to my usual reading, and the opening line hooked me with some tenacity.
And very different it was, dealing with activities I know nothing about and so was entertained by discovering. Bob Winrush a sympathetic character, and the whole of it delivered with such masterful writing that the reading is smooth and imperative, the tension ever-winding.
And very different it was, dealing with activities I know nothing about and so was entertained by discovering. Bob Winrush a sympathetic character, and the whole of it delivered with such masterful writing that the reading is smooth and imperative, the tension ever-winding.
August 23, 2019
Similar to Bob's feelings about the island I grew to like this yarn more as I read through it. For much of the opening third of the book I kept asking myself "this is the same guy who wrote 'Ulverton'??!!?" While 'Flight' never arrives at even the foothills of literary fiction, it is an enjoyable read.
June 22, 2012
I read this book as Hebridean themed reading during a holiday. I have not read Adam Thorpe before but had heard good things of Ulverton. Flight I found disappointing. I read a lot of fiction and hope that what I read will either stir my soul though the beauty and poetry in the writing and/or make me question and consider something about being human. I'm not sure flight did either. I suppose it's subject would appeal to anyone with an interest in cargo freight. And perhaps the portrayal of the marriage break down seen from the mans point of view was illuminating. Once in the Hebrides somehow the mood and wildness of the landscape wasn't given enough pre eminence. The focus was still firmly on flight, cargo, drugs, terrorists etc. We're we supposed to draw links between being a pilot and the birds on the island? Probably not. That was the problem for me. The book didn't seem to have any depth. Perhaps I missed something!
May 17, 2014
Reminds me a bit of Gerald Seymour, but a watered down Gerald Seymour. I found that Flight really didn't ...take flight ;-) ....until 2/3s of the way through when Bob finds his way to the Hebrides ...and it seemed like the writing picked up strength too, as at times you could really feel the damp beauty of the Hebrides dripping from the page! (although, to be fair, a) the main reason why I picked out this book was to get a whiff of that Hebridean-ness! :-) ...and b) the dusty Dubai desert was also fairly easy to discern in the first part of the novel) All in all, a slightly better than average read (probably more of a 3.5 star) about a newly-separated, aging former cargo pilot dealing with his past and its effect on his present.
June 4, 2014
Quite John Le Carre-ish , a favourite of mine. So different from the poetic and evocative 'Ulverton'. Hebrides depicted so memorably and , in contrast, the intricacies of arms and drug smuggling vividly conveyed.
April 6, 2016
Having been in the air cargo business for many years much of the background to the story rang very true. I had even come across a couple of the characters mentioned. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
August 26, 2012
Provacative and very unique. Learned a great deal of "off the books" arms and drug trafficing.
December 1, 2013
Reviewed on www.whichbook.net
February 24, 2014
Couldn't finish it. Clunky writing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews