Heart Like a Wing

by Dan Dunaway

Fiction. Young Adult. Briony, a prairie girl with a disfigured face, is adopted when she is nine by a childless older couple, Dagget and Moll, who appear mysteriously one day at her orphanage. They take her to their remote town of Crowsbeak where Briony, tormented by her schoolmates for her scarred face and dark skin, struggles to fit in. Briony soon learns that Dagget is in fact a renowned bush pilot and, partly as a means of escape, she begins flying with him. On one of their many flights in his iconic Norseman, he takes her into a remote northern reserve where she forms a strong relationship with an older First Nations woman, and learns she has a Cree background and family. Gaining confidence in her own abilities, Briony becomes passionately involved in flying and is soon acting as Dagget's co pilot, going on to earn her pilot's licence. But then Briony is forced to question everything she believes when she learns the disturbing truth behind the scar on her face. This edgy coming of age story brings history and northern culture vividly to life as Briony fights to discover her identity and claim her place in the world. The final chapters describe a perilous flight through the Arctic, landing in fog enshrouded Greenland, and then across the north Atlantic to the distant Hebrides."

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2016

Reviews

[wvreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery of Briony's scar drives the plot of this story as slowly Briony discovers more and more of her past. A reflective story that deals with some difficult issues. Suitable for older young adults, especially those who may have an interest in flying in remote areas.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this down. I met the author at a local writers' festival and was intrigued enough by his calm manner to pick up his book at the library. Am I ever glad I did!

I was curious how a male writer would tell the story from a young girl's pov -- it worked. The first part tells the story of Briony as she learns about the older couple who adopt her out of an orphanage; in time, she pieces together the story of her birth parents. The next section (and they feel like two separate stories) chronicles a nerve-wracking flight (piloted by Briony and her adoptive father) in a light aircraft from northern Canada to Greenland, Iceland and final destination Scotland to honour family roots. Heart-warming, sad, exciting, inspiring -- all the feels are here.

This is five stars for me because the story/stories speak to me personally and cover some of my fondest interests. Overall it's more of a 3.5 star -- that's how I'd recommend it.