The novel is worth reading simply for lines like "We circled O'Hare for an hour before the pilot informed us he was landing in Peoria. Peoria! In my youth I thought Peoria was a fictional place that Sherwood Anderson and Sinclair Lewis had cooked up one night at the tail end of a gin bender." But it's when Miles delves into Bennie's childhood, failed marriage and drinking that the novel takes off. In less deft hands, it could have become one long pity party interrupted by airline satire. But Miles turns Bennie Ford into a man you can relate to; someone whose intelligence and good intentions didn't translate into a life filled with success and love. While the jump between past and present can occasionally feel jarring, you are eager for Bennie to get on the plane and make things right.
Miles also had the good sense to keep Dear American Airlines: A Novel brief - at 180 pages, it is perfect for a flight. It's not my favorite novel of the year, but a strong debut by a first-time novelist. I look forward to reading Miles' next work.
