A review by story_sanctuary
The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski
5.0
I loved so many things about this book it would be hard to narrow it down to just one. The philosophy references and discussions were great. The banter between the characters was incredible. I'm a huge sucker for witty back-and-forth dialogue, and Ostrovski delivers it in scene after scene.
I also loved that this story tells the familiar tale of unexpected pregnancy aftermath from a largely unexplored voice: that of the baby's father. His connection with the baby (whom he names Socrates) and his emotional journey, realizing that it means so much to him to be a father, even for a few stolen hours, was so powerful. His relationships with his best friend and ex-girlfriend felt really genuine, too. And his grandmother! Aw, wow. His relationship with her and the fact that she has dimentia really underscored the sieze-the-day feeling throughout the book.
The reason I started reading this book is because the author's next book AWAY WE GO will come out in a few months, and I was curious to see what his writing was like. After reading the post on his blog about why he wrote THE PARADOX OF VERTICAL FLIGHT and what it means to him, I couldn't help reading it. I was not disappointed, either. I definitely recommend this book to readers who like contemporary fiction with witty dialogue, strong emotional journey, and memorable characters. LOVED IT.
I also loved that this story tells the familiar tale of unexpected pregnancy aftermath from a largely unexplored voice: that of the baby's father. His connection with the baby (whom he names Socrates) and his emotional journey, realizing that it means so much to him to be a father, even for a few stolen hours, was so powerful. His relationships with his best friend and ex-girlfriend felt really genuine, too. And his grandmother! Aw, wow. His relationship with her and the fact that she has dimentia really underscored the sieze-the-day feeling throughout the book.
The reason I started reading this book is because the author's next book AWAY WE GO will come out in a few months, and I was curious to see what his writing was like. After reading the post on his blog about why he wrote THE PARADOX OF VERTICAL FLIGHT and what it means to him, I couldn't help reading it. I was not disappointed, either. I definitely recommend this book to readers who like contemporary fiction with witty dialogue, strong emotional journey, and memorable characters. LOVED IT.