Flight Path by Suzanne Carver loses most of its stars because of its main characters, who feel less like people and more like opposing PowerPoint slides titled “Types of Women.”
First up is Harper, the walking cliché of the brilliant, stunning woman who is apparently so smart and beautiful that other women despise her on sight. Literally on sight. Like, standing in a grocery store line minding their own business and instantly filled with rage. She only gets along with men, which might make sense if she were remotely pleasant to them, but she is rude to nearly every man she meets, even when they have done nothing wrong. Sometimes they deserve it. Often they do not. We are also repeatedly told she is a genius, mostly through her habit of explaining extremely basic elementary school science vocabulary like she is hosting a children’s TV show. Do not worry though, eventually she tries to convince us she is a feminist, which feels more like a patch job than a personality.
Then there is Eva, who exists at the opposite end of the spectrum as the eternal doormat. She never pays attention to her own household finances, gives up her dreams for a wealthy man, and generally floats through life letting things happen to her. She is less a character and more a cautionary tale stapled to a yoga mat.
Together, Harper and Eva are supposed to form the full female experience, which is… a choice. The book sets up a false dichotomy where women are either too smart and unlikable or sweet, passive, and self-erasing. Pick a lane, ladies. Or better yet, pick a personality.
The twist was visible from about a mile and a half away, and I kept hoping something else would happen to make the journey worth it. It did not. At best, both women eventually realize that letting men define them maybe was not great for their personal growth. There is also a generous sprinkling of white guilt that somehow manages to give a man a pass, because of course it does.
By the end, Harper and Eva start trying to become more three dimensional humans and better people, which is nice, but it felt like arriving at the lesson long after the reader has already checked their watch. I wanted to like this more. I really did. But wanting something to happen is not the same as it actually happening.