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Flying in Place
Once in a while, a first novel arrives like a bolt of lightning, commanding attention with an explosion of power, grace, and light. Flying in Place is such a book. As unflinching as The Lovely Bones , as startling as Beloved , it is a work to bear witness--with bravery and compassion--for the experience of millions of readers and their loved ones.
Emma is twelve, a perfectly normal girl, in a perfectly normal home. With a perfectly normal father...who comes into her bedroom every night in the hours before dawn. Emma will do anything to escape. From the visits. From the bodies. From the breathing. Even go walking on the ceiling--which is where Emma meets Ginny, the sister who died before she was born. Ginny, who knows things. Ginny, who can fly....
Emma is twelve, a perfectly normal girl, in a perfectly normal home. With a perfectly normal father...who comes into her bedroom every night in the hours before dawn. Emma will do anything to escape. From the visits. From the bodies. From the breathing. Even go walking on the ceiling--which is where Emma meets Ginny, the sister who died before she was born. Ginny, who knows things. Ginny, who can fly....
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
7 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
Susan Palwick
83 books72 followersSusan Palwick is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she teaches writing and literature.
Raised in northern New Jersey, Palwick attended Princeton University, where she studied fiction writing with novelist Stephen Koch, and she holds a doctoral degree from Yale. In the 1980s, she was an editor of The Little Magazine and then helped found The New York Review of Science Fiction, to which she contributed several reviews and essays.
Palwick's work has received multiple awards, including the Rhysling Award (in 1985) for her poem "The Neighbor's Wife." She won the Crawford Award for best first novel with Flying in Place in 1993, and The Alex Award in 2006 for her second novel, The Necessary Beggar. Her third novel, Shelter, was published by Tor in 2007. Another book, The Fate of Mice (a collection of short stories), has also been published by Tachyon Publications.
Susan Palwick is a practicing Episcopalian and lay hospital chaplain.
Raised in northern New Jersey, Palwick attended Princeton University, where she studied fiction writing with novelist Stephen Koch, and she holds a doctoral degree from Yale. In the 1980s, she was an editor of The Little Magazine and then helped found The New York Review of Science Fiction, to which she contributed several reviews and essays.
Palwick's work has received multiple awards, including the Rhysling Award (in 1985) for her poem "The Neighbor's Wife." She won the Crawford Award for best first novel with Flying in Place in 1993, and The Alex Award in 2006 for her second novel, The Necessary Beggar. Her third novel, Shelter, was published by Tor in 2007. Another book, The Fate of Mice (a collection of short stories), has also been published by Tachyon Publications.
Susan Palwick is a practicing Episcopalian and lay hospital chaplain.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
November 10, 2024
this book was so incredibly disturbing but in a way that shows just how well done it was
would not recommend if you’re feeling low + check trigger warnings before reading! there is a sense of hope at the end, knowing that while reading helped me keep going
would not recommend if you’re feeling low + check trigger warnings before reading! there is a sense of hope at the end, knowing that while reading helped me keep going
December 6, 2014
Sebenarnya, saya membaca buku ini di bulan Agustus lalu. Saya ingat membaca novel ini sekali duduk, sebelum tidur. Buku ini tipikal buku yang akan membuatmu susah bernapas. Saya ingat, setelah menyelesaikannya, saya mengupdate review singkat di Goodreads dan berkata seperti ini:
When we’re outsider we thought, upon hearing the child sexual abuse crime, that it was horrible. but placing our self as insider, which i thought was the book’s intention, it feels terrifying.
Lalu kenapa kalau novel ini berkesan saya malah tidak langsung mereviewnya? Itulah penyakit saya (-,-)a. Saya punya kebiasaan untuk mengambil jarak dari kisah yang baru selesai saya baca. Alhasil, kadang (dan kebanyakan) kisah itu terlewatkan untuk saya review. Nah, beberapa minggu ini saya sedang mengikuti sebuah TV series berjudul The Missing. TV series yang berkisah tentang penculikan seorang anak kecil bernama Oliver Hughes yang disinyalir berkaitan dengan child trafficking. Dalam episode-episode yang plotnya semakin escalating belakangan ini, muncul Ian Garrett dan kebenaran yang terkuak tentang ia yang seorang pedophile dan salah satu korbannya adalah anak perempuannya sendiri! Ian Garrett mengingatkan saya pada novel ini. Tepatnya pada karakter Stewart Gray.
Its HORRIBLE. Rasanya mau nangis aja kalo baca kisah korban pedofilia. Kasihan dengan mereka yang mendapatkan perlakuan buruk itu. Sekaligus khawatir dengan trauma yang nanti akan membentuk mentalnya di masa depan. Biasanya malah korban pedofilia ini, saat besar akan menjadi pelaku child sexual abuse. Dan kalau begitu, penyakit pedophilia menjadi siklus yang tak putus. Memang tak semuanya tapi itu sangat mengkhawatirkan, kan? Sangat.
Balik ke kisah Emma. Unsur fantasi yakni kemunculan hantu Ginny, lama-lama men-trigger Emma untuk bertindak. Thats a good thing for a victim like Emma. She should no longer shut up herself. Because most victim intended to shut the problem to themselves. Apalagi di kasus Emma ini, setiap kali Ayahnya ‘melukainya’, sang Ayah berdalih kalau itu karena ia mencintai Emma. Gimana ga geregetan coba sama sang Ayah yang bejat begitu! :evil:
Stewart Gray, sang ayah, ngga keliatan deh kalo dia memiliki penyakit pedofilia. Dia adalah seorang dokter bedah terkenal. Kehidupan rumah tangganya juga lempeng-lempeng aja. Ngga ada yang tau kalau di rumahnya Emma disakiti. Pun sang Ibu! Ini juga yang bikin geregetan. How could a mom be so blind about her own daughter. Di novel ini, sang Ibu terlalu sibuk dengan kesedihannya akan kematian Ginny (dan masih). Satu-satunya yang memegang rahasia Dr. Gray adalah sang bibi, Aunt Donna. Itu pun, dengan liciknya, Dr. Gray berhasil memanipulasi Pam (ibu Emma) dengan kebencian hingga keduanya berpisah -tak lagi berkomunikasi.
Tapi, benarkah semuanya ‘buta’ akan kejanggalan dalam diam dan tertutupnya Emma? You and I will hope, not all people blind of what goes wrong with Emma. We, reader, would hope for someone to rescue Emma. But we’ll see. you need to read the whole story.
When we’re outsider we thought, upon hearing the child sexual abuse crime, that it was horrible. but placing our self as insider, which i thought was the book’s intention, it feels terrifying.
Lalu kenapa kalau novel ini berkesan saya malah tidak langsung mereviewnya? Itulah penyakit saya (-,-)a. Saya punya kebiasaan untuk mengambil jarak dari kisah yang baru selesai saya baca. Alhasil, kadang (dan kebanyakan) kisah itu terlewatkan untuk saya review. Nah, beberapa minggu ini saya sedang mengikuti sebuah TV series berjudul The Missing. TV series yang berkisah tentang penculikan seorang anak kecil bernama Oliver Hughes yang disinyalir berkaitan dengan child trafficking. Dalam episode-episode yang plotnya semakin escalating belakangan ini, muncul Ian Garrett dan kebenaran yang terkuak tentang ia yang seorang pedophile dan salah satu korbannya adalah anak perempuannya sendiri! Ian Garrett mengingatkan saya pada novel ini. Tepatnya pada karakter Stewart Gray.
Its HORRIBLE. Rasanya mau nangis aja kalo baca kisah korban pedofilia. Kasihan dengan mereka yang mendapatkan perlakuan buruk itu. Sekaligus khawatir dengan trauma yang nanti akan membentuk mentalnya di masa depan. Biasanya malah korban pedofilia ini, saat besar akan menjadi pelaku child sexual abuse. Dan kalau begitu, penyakit pedophilia menjadi siklus yang tak putus. Memang tak semuanya tapi itu sangat mengkhawatirkan, kan? Sangat.
“I’m dead! That’s what’s wrong with me! Dead people fly, Emma! I brought you here so I could talk to you, and all you want to do is pretend you’re dead!”
Balik ke kisah Emma. Unsur fantasi yakni kemunculan hantu Ginny, lama-lama men-trigger Emma untuk bertindak. Thats a good thing for a victim like Emma. She should no longer shut up herself. Because most victim intended to shut the problem to themselves. Apalagi di kasus Emma ini, setiap kali Ayahnya ‘melukainya’, sang Ayah berdalih kalau itu karena ia mencintai Emma. Gimana ga geregetan coba sama sang Ayah yang bejat begitu! :evil:
Stewart Gray, sang ayah, ngga keliatan deh kalo dia memiliki penyakit pedofilia. Dia adalah seorang dokter bedah terkenal. Kehidupan rumah tangganya juga lempeng-lempeng aja. Ngga ada yang tau kalau di rumahnya Emma disakiti. Pun sang Ibu! Ini juga yang bikin geregetan. How could a mom be so blind about her own daughter. Di novel ini, sang Ibu terlalu sibuk dengan kesedihannya akan kematian Ginny (dan masih). Satu-satunya yang memegang rahasia Dr. Gray adalah sang bibi, Aunt Donna. Itu pun, dengan liciknya, Dr. Gray berhasil memanipulasi Pam (ibu Emma) dengan kebencian hingga keduanya berpisah -tak lagi berkomunikasi.
“I could say the same about you, but this conversation would degenerate into something entirely unprofessional. Pam, I like Emma. She’s a good kid. And something pretty damn serious is eating at her, and if you can’t see that, you’ve got your head in tghe sand!”
Tapi, benarkah semuanya ‘buta’ akan kejanggalan dalam diam dan tertutupnya Emma? You and I will hope, not all people blind of what goes wrong with Emma. We, reader, would hope for someone to rescue Emma. But we’ll see. you need to read the whole story.
“I think,” Myrna said slowly after a while, “that most of us never really treasure being alive. We take it for granted. I think Ginny wanted you to understand how precious it is.”
July 4, 2008
I first read this book over a decade ago and was struck by its poignancy and beauty. I recently reread it and am still amazed; both that it is a first novel, and that so much truth comes packed into a such a small book. Twelve year old Emma fears the "breathing" that comes every morning at dawn, when her father sneaks into her room. She can tell no one about these nightly visits: not her mother, who is too fragile, not her friend Jane, with her unconventional family and brazen behavior. The only one she can tell about these visits is Ginny, the ghost of a sister who died before Emma was born. Ginny knows secrets, and with her Emma can leave behind her body and fly. The story is told in first person, and Emma sounds like a real twelve year old, albeit one who has grown up with a lot of messed up ideas about her body and place in the world. The father who sneaks into Emma's bedroom is quite different from the respected surgeon the rest of the world sees, and a lesser author might not have been able to pull this off. Palwick not only does so, she hints at some motivation for the abuser, without excusing him, creating an adversary who is more frightening for all that. If there was one false note here, it was in the depiction of Tom and Myrna, whom I really liked but who had ideas that seemed anachronistic to me. Overall, Palwick writes about a very serious subject manner in a moving and dramatic manner, blending the horrific and the gorgeous, the realistic and the surreal into a very powerful whole.
July 21, 2009
Brutal and visceral, oh god, but an extraordinary book. Palwick crafts rape and recovery with pitiless compassion and pulls none of her punches. The story is told with grace, but walks the line between horrific and absolutely heartbreaking. I finished the last third of it sobbing. Highly recommended.
Consider companion reads:
* Deerskin by Robin McKinley
* Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
* The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
* "Allerleirauh" by Jane Yolen, from The Armless Maiden: And Other Tales for Childhood's Survivors
Consider companion reads:
* Deerskin by Robin McKinley
* Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
* The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
* "Allerleirauh" by Jane Yolen, from The Armless Maiden: And Other Tales for Childhood's Survivors
July 20, 2007
Fantastic first novel about a girl's experiences being neglected by her mother and abused by her father. The difficult subject matter is handled gracefully without glossing over the horror of it, and the story weaves in elements of mystery and the paranormal (the main character meets a ghost). Beautiful writing; I get more out of this novel with each reread.
August 26, 2018
This is the story of two sisters who have not actually met.
Ginny died when she was twelve. Emma was born shortly afterwards.
After Ginny's death their mother locked her bedroom and did not allow Emma to go inside. All over the house were pictures of beautiful, thin Ginny and all the awards she had won in gymnastics.
Plain, tubby Emma felt unloved by her mother and took solice at her friend Jane's house next door.
For some time Emma's father, who was a respected doctor, had been coming into her bedroom at dawn and getting her to please him. He would then fall asleep in her bed and she would lie there listening to his breathing.
When Emma turned twelve the abuse turned into actual intercourse.
In order to escape the trauma Emma's mind left her body and flew up to the ceiling.
Ginny flew through her bedroom wall and together the two would dance and play on the ceiling.
Emma would go into a daze at school and fly off with Ginny to the woods and lake. It became harder and harder to go back into her body when Jane called her.
As Emma's grades, fell her teachers asked what was wrong. Emma remained silent. Her father had warned her that if she told on him, her mother, who could not handle another heartache would die. To stop the abuse Emma wanted to join Ginny forever, until Ginny disclosed secrets of her own.
Ginny died when she was twelve. Emma was born shortly afterwards.
After Ginny's death their mother locked her bedroom and did not allow Emma to go inside. All over the house were pictures of beautiful, thin Ginny and all the awards she had won in gymnastics.
Plain, tubby Emma felt unloved by her mother and took solice at her friend Jane's house next door.
For some time Emma's father, who was a respected doctor, had been coming into her bedroom at dawn and getting her to please him. He would then fall asleep in her bed and she would lie there listening to his breathing.
When Emma turned twelve the abuse turned into actual intercourse.
In order to escape the trauma Emma's mind left her body and flew up to the ceiling.
Ginny flew through her bedroom wall and together the two would dance and play on the ceiling.
Emma would go into a daze at school and fly off with Ginny to the woods and lake. It became harder and harder to go back into her body when Jane called her.
As Emma's grades, fell her teachers asked what was wrong. Emma remained silent. Her father had warned her that if she told on him, her mother, who could not handle another heartache would die. To stop the abuse Emma wanted to join Ginny forever, until Ginny disclosed secrets of her own.
September 7, 2020
Beautifully written. Horrible subject.
December 19, 2024
Uncomfortable to read at times, but important nonetheless. It encourages me to be an advocate for children, especially for those who experience neglect and abuse at home.
I found this book for $2 at Goodwill. It was signed by the author, who dedicated it to Ellen and thanked her for her work with CASA. Speaking of... shoutout to the CASA organization in general (where a judge appoints a guardian ad litem to be a child's advocate on what's in their best interest).
I found this book for $2 at Goodwill. It was signed by the author, who dedicated it to Ellen and thanked her for her work with CASA. Speaking of... shoutout to the CASA organization in general (where a judge appoints a guardian ad litem to be a child's advocate on what's in their best interest).
August 31, 2022
As brutal as the first time I read it.
I love Myrna with an intensity.
I love Myrna with an intensity.
July 2, 2009
Flying In Place won The Crawford Award for Susan Palwick in 1993. The Crawford Award is presented to books falling into the fantasy genre. While it's true that there are aspects of this book that qualify it for the fantasy category, I wouldn't necessarily have categorized it that way.
Flying In Place is the story of Emma and her family: her surgeon father, her school teacher mother, and her sister who died before Emma was born. From all indications Emma lives in a normal family situation, but in fact, nothing about Emma's home life is "normal". Emma receives pre-dawn visits in her bedroom from her father. To spare herself the trauma of these visits, Emma projects her mind out of her body up to the ceiling of her bedroom where she can fly and avoid dealing with the assaults on her body by her father. I didn't read this situation so much as fantasy as I did the matter of mental self preservation.
While the writing is descriptive about the abuse Emma suffers, it never becomes graphic so that this book is suitable reading for adolescent girls.
The subject matter of Flying In Place is certainly distasteful, but the message it conveys is so well written that once started, the book is almost impossible to put down.
Highly recommended particularly to young girls whether or not they've experienced this kind of abuse. It never hurts to be informed, particularly on subjects such as this one.
Flying In Place is the story of Emma and her family: her surgeon father, her school teacher mother, and her sister who died before Emma was born. From all indications Emma lives in a normal family situation, but in fact, nothing about Emma's home life is "normal". Emma receives pre-dawn visits in her bedroom from her father. To spare herself the trauma of these visits, Emma projects her mind out of her body up to the ceiling of her bedroom where she can fly and avoid dealing with the assaults on her body by her father. I didn't read this situation so much as fantasy as I did the matter of mental self preservation.
While the writing is descriptive about the abuse Emma suffers, it never becomes graphic so that this book is suitable reading for adolescent girls.
The subject matter of Flying In Place is certainly distasteful, but the message it conveys is so well written that once started, the book is almost impossible to put down.
Highly recommended particularly to young girls whether or not they've experienced this kind of abuse. It never hurts to be informed, particularly on subjects such as this one.
May 4, 2018
I read this novel for the first time when it first came out in 1992 -- a little before it came out, actually, because the copy on my shelf is the advance uncorrected proof from the publisher. It was the best exploration of the experience of a child sexual-abuse victim I'd read, and it made creative use of fantasy (specifically the ghost story) to do it. Btw, I use the word "victim" intentionally. We know from the beginning that Emma has survived, but the story is told in the first person by 12-year-old Emma, whose survival is not assured.
In the 25 years since I haven't read anything better. I went back to it because a point-of-view character in my novel in progress is an 11-year-old girl, Glory, who has been incested by her stepfather, and her stepfather, like Emma's father, is an upper-middle-class professional man of whom these things are rarely suspected until the evidence is overwhelming. For me as a writer the challenge is to gradually evoke and reveal experiences that Glory doesn't consciously remember and has no words for. This time through I would pay careful attention to how Susan Palwick did it.
I vividly remembered how Emma survived the abuse by leaving her body, but I'd forgotten the depth and intensity of the out-of-body relationship she develops with the ghost of her sister, Ginny, who died before she was born at exactly the same age. This time around I noticed with new appreciation that Palwick stacked the deck in Emma's favor by giving her allies outside her very dysfunctional family: the Hallorans next door, whose household is as messy and boisterous as Emma's is pristine and orderly; and Emma's aunt Donna, whom Emma's parents have bad-mouthed at every opportunity. I've been doing the same for Glory, because without outside allies the situation of a vulnerable child is almost too hopeless to imagine.
Recommended but with a cautionary note: Though the tone here is deceptively light, the story is not, and by identifying with Emma, the reader puts herself in a similarly vulnerable position. Especialy if she has abuse, sexual, physical, and/or psychological, in her background, as so many of us do.
In the 25 years since I haven't read anything better. I went back to it because a point-of-view character in my novel in progress is an 11-year-old girl, Glory, who has been incested by her stepfather, and her stepfather, like Emma's father, is an upper-middle-class professional man of whom these things are rarely suspected until the evidence is overwhelming. For me as a writer the challenge is to gradually evoke and reveal experiences that Glory doesn't consciously remember and has no words for. This time through I would pay careful attention to how Susan Palwick did it.
I vividly remembered how Emma survived the abuse by leaving her body, but I'd forgotten the depth and intensity of the out-of-body relationship she develops with the ghost of her sister, Ginny, who died before she was born at exactly the same age. This time around I noticed with new appreciation that Palwick stacked the deck in Emma's favor by giving her allies outside her very dysfunctional family: the Hallorans next door, whose household is as messy and boisterous as Emma's is pristine and orderly; and Emma's aunt Donna, whom Emma's parents have bad-mouthed at every opportunity. I've been doing the same for Glory, because without outside allies the situation of a vulnerable child is almost too hopeless to imagine.
Recommended but with a cautionary note: Though the tone here is deceptively light, the story is not, and by identifying with Emma, the reader puts herself in a similarly vulnerable position. Especialy if she has abuse, sexual, physical, and/or psychological, in her background, as so many of us do.
November 15, 2019
The first time twelve year-old Emma is raped by her father in the dawn hours, she discovers an ability to send her consciousness outside her body to a fantasy world that is a mirror of her own. When she meets the specter of her dead sister, she assumes it is all just in her imagination, a dissociative coping technique, but her sister knows too many family secrets that Emma has not yet learned. As she gradually becomes aware of the dysfunctional relationships she has always taken for granted, it becomes clear Emma is receiving a cryptic warning from the afterlife that she must decipher if she wants to avoid her sister's fate.
I first became aware of Susan Palwick when I encountered her excellent werewolf story "Gestella" in an anthology. This is her first novel. It won a Crawford Award in 1993, which is given to the year's best debut fantasy author. I listed to the audiobook, which was narrated by Luci Christian Bell.
The dark subject matter made the story hard to stomach at times, but the believable and nuanced characters also make it worth reading. Emma's slick, controlling father slithered through his scenes and nauseated me. I became angry at her obsequious, willfully blind mother. I cheered for the school teacher who saw what was going on and tried to help Emma.
There were some structural flaws. The fantasy elements felt underdeveloped, especially the dead sister Jenny, who never progressed beyond being a one-dimensional warning flag. Most of the plot twists were easy to see coming.
The story addressed hot-button issues facing too many women today--sexual abuse, eating disorders, victim shaming, and battered wife syndrome It is nice to see these dealt with honestly in fiction, but by the end, it was a bit too much. The story began to slip into afterschool special territory.
Despite the flaws, I still feel this is a solid debut novel with memorable characters and an engaging plot.
I first became aware of Susan Palwick when I encountered her excellent werewolf story "Gestella" in an anthology. This is her first novel. It won a Crawford Award in 1993, which is given to the year's best debut fantasy author. I listed to the audiobook, which was narrated by Luci Christian Bell.
The dark subject matter made the story hard to stomach at times, but the believable and nuanced characters also make it worth reading. Emma's slick, controlling father slithered through his scenes and nauseated me. I became angry at her obsequious, willfully blind mother. I cheered for the school teacher who saw what was going on and tried to help Emma.
There were some structural flaws. The fantasy elements felt underdeveloped, especially the dead sister Jenny, who never progressed beyond being a one-dimensional warning flag. Most of the plot twists were easy to see coming.
The story addressed hot-button issues facing too many women today--sexual abuse, eating disorders, victim shaming, and battered wife syndrome It is nice to see these dealt with honestly in fiction, but by the end, it was a bit too much. The story began to slip into afterschool special territory.
Despite the flaws, I still feel this is a solid debut novel with memorable characters and an engaging plot.
December 6, 2021
I honestly finished the entire book in one sitting. I had not known a thing about the story before opening it and it surely took me by surprise. One thing about this book I absolutely can not get over is the characters. Each and every mentioned character had an important role to play and they played it well. I did find it heavily triggering for anyone who experienced any form of molestation or sexual abuse or has ever been gaslighted into believing what ever was happening to them, never was. Nevertheless, the writing of the story and how Susan chose to lead the story was magnificent.
As a debut, this is an impressive book and no matter the sadness, anger, restlessness you may feel while reading it, no one can deny the truth behind the story. Just thinking about how there are young women and girls who have to go through something like this makes me sick to the stomach. And as tough as it may been to sit through reading about the pain Emma, Ginny, their mother went through, I would certainly recommend this book to everyone.
As a debut, this is an impressive book and no matter the sadness, anger, restlessness you may feel while reading it, no one can deny the truth behind the story. Just thinking about how there are young women and girls who have to go through something like this makes me sick to the stomach. And as tough as it may been to sit through reading about the pain Emma, Ginny, their mother went through, I would certainly recommend this book to everyone.
October 24, 2025
Mein größtes Mysterium dieses Jahr ist, wieso Susan palwick so unbekannt ist. Dieses Buch ist Herzzerreißend und man sollte sich definitiv überlegen, ob man in der richtigen Verfassung für die Themen ist. Emma und ihr Schicksal sind extrem glaubwürdig geschrieben und obwohl es in der Geschichte auch Licht gibt, kann man nicht anders als an die unzähligen Kinder denken, denen jetzt gerade ähnliches angetan wird. Aber genau deswegen sind Bücher wie dieses so wichtig, sie sorgen für mehr Verständnis für die Opfer und können dazu beitragen Warnsignale frühzeitig zu erkennen. Ein großartiges Beispiel dafür, dass Fiktion manchmal mehr aussagen kann als jedes Sachbuch.
November 6, 2020
Emma has always been a little jealous of her sister Ginny. Ginny was prettier, kinder and more athletic than Emma. Emma has never met her sister because Ginny died before she was born. That changes one day when Emma leaves her body and meets her sister on the ceiling. Emma and Ginny are bound together by a terrible secret. Emma wants to escape but Ginny came back for a reason. As the novel unfolds and secrets are revealed, Emma must decide if it's time to finally tell the truth. Flying in Place is an unflinching look at child sexual abuse and its life-altering consequences.
January 3, 2022
I've owned a copy of this book since the 90s and read it multiple times (which I rarely do with books). I don't know why I feel such a strong connection to this story, but I do and every time I read it, it strikes me in a different way.
A book about child sex abuse, the secrets we keep and the people who love and help unconditionally.
I think it's out of print now, but if you ever find a copy I highly recommend.
A book about child sex abuse, the secrets we keep and the people who love and help unconditionally.
I think it's out of print now, but if you ever find a copy I highly recommend.
February 25, 2025
Watching her put on makeup is my favorite movie. She sits between my legs, my chin resting into her back, eyes peering over her shoulder.
"What book can I read to learn something about you?" I lean over, fumbling through a stack of books.
I notice that she pushes her mess under her bed too.
"None of those," her eyes shift as her hand draws back the mascara. "The one by my bed."
____
She had told me before but this time she was showing me. I read it in one night while she was asleep on my chest.
"What book can I read to learn something about you?" I lean over, fumbling through a stack of books.
I notice that she pushes her mess under her bed too.
"None of those," her eyes shift as her hand draws back the mascara. "The one by my bed."
____
She had told me before but this time she was showing me. I read it in one night while she was asleep on my chest.
July 26, 2019
A difficult book to read, dealing as it does with death and abuse and gaslighting, all through the eyes of a hurting twelve year old girl who has no other barometer by which to measure love. But it’s still beautiful, somehow, and full of grace and unexpected strength. Read with tissues handy.
November 29, 2018
I was silent for a long time after I finished this gem.
December 11, 2018
Probably one of the most emotional books I have read in the past year.
Had to leave it down and think about something else after finishing the last page.
Had to leave it down and think about something else after finishing the last page.
January 30, 2022
Very good, hard to read book
January 2, 2023
I actually read this book in one day. It was very well written for such a sad subject.
January 29, 2024
Beautifully written story. Made me anxious at parts and broke my heart at others. I enjoyed the supernatural element to it.
November 14, 2023
I wish goodreads let you rate a book 3.5 ⭐️ ... I read this book many years ago. I remember recommending the book to my mother, but other than that I did not remember much of the story line. I picked it up last night as a quick read, something in between the book I had just finished and the one I was about to start. I read it in one sitting, mind you it's a very short book.
I actually appreciate that the plot was not stretched out... there were not scenes that were drawn out or repetitive content throughout the book for the sake of extending it a few more pages. The book covers a very hard social issue, but does so in a way that had me more focused on the "survival" and "mending" aspects of the story than the abuse itself - which I'm not complaining about. In addition, the book covered the topic of grief beautifully and showed the reality of families who have lost a child, that the process of moving on is not always beautiful. Regardless I still found myself disliking Emma's mother, though at the end her actions demonstrated the love she had for Emma. I will say though, for this book being written in the 90s, it did bring awareness to some social themes/problems we continue to struggle with. For example, when Jane's parents stand up for her and reiterate that her choice in outfit is not an invitation for men or boys to violate or disrespect her. The ending was a little disappointing, though not far from reality in many similar situations.
I would recommend this book to others, though I think there are more recent books that cover the same (or similar) social issue that I preferred.
I actually appreciate that the plot was not stretched out... there were not scenes that were drawn out or repetitive content throughout the book for the sake of extending it a few more pages. The book covers a very hard social issue, but does so in a way that had me more focused on the "survival" and "mending" aspects of the story than the abuse itself - which I'm not complaining about. In addition, the book covered the topic of grief beautifully and showed the reality of families who have lost a child, that the process of moving on is not always beautiful. Regardless I still found myself disliking Emma's mother, though at the end her actions demonstrated the love she had for Emma. I will say though, for this book being written in the 90s, it did bring awareness to some social themes/problems we continue to struggle with. For example, when Jane's parents stand up for her and reiterate that her choice in outfit is not an invitation for men or boys to violate or disrespect her. The ending was a little disappointing, though not far from reality in many similar situations.
I would recommend this book to others, though I think there are more recent books that cover the same (or similar) social issue that I preferred.
February 4, 2010
Siiiigh. So the last Susan Palwick book I had left to read, and it's one of _those_ books.
It has a framing story, so while most of the book is told from the point of view of a 12 year old, it may not technically be a YA book.
Main character is sexually abused by her father. And floats out of her body to have chats with her dead sister. And if you're surprised by the things that are revealed through the course of the book, you really shouldn't be.
But, hey, the dead sister is named Ginny. And the neighbors next door remind me strongly of the Weasleys. Though I didn't sit down to count how many brothers were in the family, I think it was about 6. The house is crowded, and jumbled, and not-exactly-rich, and the family's attitude strikes me as pretty Weasley. So, in any case, I can't help but like them. Even though I wouldn't want to live with them.
This is one of those stories that's called 'moving', 'touching', 'poignant' and all sorts of other words that equal 'boring' in my mind. Honestly, if this was my first exposure to Susan Palwick, I would not have gone to read more of her stuff. Not intentionally.
Not that it wasn't a quick read and enjoyable on a certain level. Just. Bleh. It's like.. one of those stories they praise you for in grad school.
It has a framing story, so while most of the book is told from the point of view of a 12 year old, it may not technically be a YA book.
Main character is sexually abused by her father. And floats out of her body to have chats with her dead sister. And if you're surprised by the things that are revealed through the course of the book, you really shouldn't be.
But, hey, the dead sister is named Ginny. And the neighbors next door remind me strongly of the Weasleys. Though I didn't sit down to count how many brothers were in the family, I think it was about 6. The house is crowded, and jumbled, and not-exactly-rich, and the family's attitude strikes me as pretty Weasley. So, in any case, I can't help but like them. Even though I wouldn't want to live with them.
This is one of those stories that's called 'moving', 'touching', 'poignant' and all sorts of other words that equal 'boring' in my mind. Honestly, if this was my first exposure to Susan Palwick, I would not have gone to read more of her stuff. Not intentionally.
Not that it wasn't a quick read and enjoyable on a certain level. Just. Bleh. It's like.. one of those stories they praise you for in grad school.
February 2, 2012
I picked this book up at a Used bookstore on a whim and it turned out to be fantastic. Without getting into too much detail, the main character is sexually abused by her father (which the reader discovers very early in the book). Though many euphemisms are used and thus the novel is not very graphic, it is still difficult to read at times because of the sensitive subject matter. However, that didn't stop me from finishing this novel in one sitting. It is quite short, but it is packed with an amazing story. I have to admit, at the beginning I was wondering when the "good" part was going to come along, and then I started putting pieces of a puzzle together, which made this book all the more fascinating. Though there are probably many books written on this subject matter, I love that Palwick used an entirely different method of approaching it. The topic of sexual abuse, especially towards children is no laughing matter, but the author fashioned her writing in a way that it was not exactly depressing, either. Definitely a great read for those who are interested in fantasy and don't mind sensitive topics such as this one.
March 10, 2011
I just opened the book in the middle to flip through it when it arrived in the mail, nex thing I know, I read from that random page to the very end, and then from the beginning to the end. I read strictly in the scifi/fantasy genre, and dislike serious or depressing books, but this was really good - and not sad or depressing. I picked it up because of Palwick's "Shelter" (which is scifi) - great prose, absolutely engaging quality with words, and an amazing ability to make me relate and care about other people's scary emotional/psychological problems.
The story works because it's driven by a mystery, and we see Emma searching for clues to her life: does her mother love her? What happened to Ginny?
I thought this was much better than, to pick a book with a similar theme - finding fantasy escape from the horrors of abuse - "Tender Morsels" by Margo Lanagan.
The story works because it's driven by a mystery, and we see Emma searching for clues to her life: does her mother love her? What happened to Ginny?
I thought this was much better than, to pick a book with a similar theme - finding fantasy escape from the horrors of abuse - "Tender Morsels" by Margo Lanagan.
October 29, 2009
This is a chilling book about abuse; it's hard to write about effectively, was hard to read, and I'm sure I'm not going to do it justice. Teenage Emma is being systematically abused by her surgeon father; she escapes his regular morning visits by leaving her body behind, separating her mind so that she doesn't have to acknowledge what's happening. One morning, she sees the ghost of her dead sister, Ginny, flying around the ceiling; Emma begins to see and talk to Ginny regularly, and the visits begin to spark Emma's resistance against what her father is doing to her. Emma's narrative is graceful and understated; the pain rarely breaks through to the surface, and when it does, it's especially wrenching.
March 25, 2016
I read this book when I was in Grade 9. I remember walking through the library and a couple of my peers were interested in reading it when I told them that it was about child molestation. They were grossed out. But I had a feeling that I could like it if it was written well. And it was.
Flying in Place is such a good book. Palwick's characterization of Emma is well-written. A girl who doesn't believe she's worthy except only to her father, especially with her dead sister Ginny who her mother still worships.
I had to use the book for my year-ending project and even after analyzing this book thoroughly, it is still one of the best books I have read.
Flying in Place is such a good book. Palwick's characterization of Emma is well-written. A girl who doesn't believe she's worthy except only to her father, especially with her dead sister Ginny who her mother still worships.
I had to use the book for my year-ending project and even after analyzing this book thoroughly, it is still one of the best books I have read.
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