Fly Over State

by Emma Straub

Fly-Over State, the debut composite novel of Emma Straub.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

51 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Emma Straub is the New York Times‒bestselling author of the novels All Adults Here, Modern Lovers, The Vacationers, Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, and the short story collection Other People We Married. Straub's work has been published in twenty countries, and she and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fly-Over State reveals Straub to be an author who can write with both a wry, biting style and with real empathy, often at the same time. She left me laughing at and caring about her characters. She uses humor in the way an individual might as a defense mechanism, so even as it conceals it let's us infer what's being hidden. It's a slatted fence to hide her characters' discontent. At a glance, we see only the fence, but the reward is what can be glimpsed through the gaps.

[Matt Muilenburg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can appreciate the subtlety of lesser conflicts, but in the title story, which is actually a shorter novella or longer short story, the end comes on entirely too quickly without anything truly happening. I enjoyed Straub's prose, first-person in Fly-Over State, and laughed several times at her wit and humor and word play. However, she does reference Craigslist, Hairspray (Travolta's take, not the original Divine version) and other colloquialisms, which really date the material and often leave me wishing they were absent. I also wondered if I should be offended as a life long Midwesterner, as at times it feels like she is poking fun at us. Then again, she could just be calling to light the ignorances of "big city folk." Though these two stories didn't work on all levels for me, I'd definitely like to read more of Straub, thanks to her voice.

[Paul Eckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, I picked this book off my shelf because I wanted something short to read, and at 76 pages, this book fits the bill. I didn't know what to expect because I had never read any of Straub's work before, but it came highly recommended from some author friends.

I was pleasantly surprised. Straub's style is instantly engaging because of its humor and honesty. We see the strengths and weaknesses of each character, and each flaw or virtue reveals a truth about that person that makes them immediately sympathetic. There are no heroes and villains in these stories, just realistic people that are different strokes of crazy.

By the time I was done reading, my book looked like I was growing a Post-It Note farm, the little scraps of yellow paper marking my favorite passages.

Her style reminded me a bit of Lorrie Moore, the way her prose can be funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

Read this collection in about an hour, and I'll definitely look forward to picking it up again.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Michael Schaub and the Largehearted Boy started raving about Emma Schaub’s Fly-over State on Twitter, it took me roughly 48 seconds to order up the book. That kind of hype cannot be withstood. Besides, nobody has influenced my reading over the past few years more than they have.

It was high hopes and an open heart that I dove into this odd little book by Emma Straub. That’s not meant to be dismissive. It is an odd little book. It’s only 77 pages and contains two short stories. The, for lack of a better term, supersized short story “Fly-over State” (it’s too short to be a novella, probably too long to be considered a traditional short story, but then I have no idea what the rules are on these kinds of things) and a regular-sized short story “Hot Springs Eternal.” The format is unique and I hope to see more odd little books like it. Plus, for only $8, you can’t go wrong.

Read more

[Corinna · Rating 4 out of 5]

One novella + one story = a perfect morning read. These two stories are deceptively quiet and lean on the surface, incredibly charged underneath. . .the most difficult kind to get right, and Straub does it exceptionally well. I love it when characters speak your language and stay with you. Mud, Sophie, Teddy, Richard, all of them are lost and longing to connect to something or someone. This is life in all its confusion, ridiculousness, and beauty.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming! A tiny book with tuns to say. Buy it! Read it!

[Alyssa Knickerbocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and weird and wonderful. Fits in your back pocket.

[Edan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending rocks. (The rest does too, but I was really impressed with the final scene--so eerie and perfect.)

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thia is a very small book with two short stories. I liked the writing but the stories really seemed to go nowhere in the end.

[Caithlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two stories. My friend. On Wisconsin!

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straub's voice is strong in these early works. Incredible character development and keen observations.

[Carol]

These two short novellas were written around the time that Emma Straub was living here in Madison, WI working on her MFA. The first one, in fact, is set in Madison -- and told with wry humor from the view point of a native New Yorker (like the author) moving to a "fly-over state." They are a fun, if quick read, especially for fans of her later writing.

Please note that I don't use the star rating system, so this review should not be viewed as a zero.