A review by jennifer_bush_73
Falling by T.J. Newman

adventurous tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a highly entertaining thriller: a true page-turner.  

I can’t help but love that this story’s heroes were the flight attendants. 

But what was even more impressive was the author’s ability to portray the hijackers as complicated humans. The use of flashbacks showed us the complexities of the events that  led the hijackers to this moment in their (and the airplanes crew and passengers’) lives.

Also, I found it particularly appropriate that in the background, while I was reading Falling, were news stories about Afghan cities being overrun by the Taliban since the pullout of US troops. It reminded me of Sam and Ben’s backstory.

The only thing that bothers me is the ethnicity of the hijackers. It comes very close to falling into the trope of Middle Easterners as terrorist. I don’t recall the hijackers as being identified as Muslims, but that is the logical conclusion. The author did provide a brief explanation of some of the atrocities inflicted on the Kurds by the Turks, which helped humanize the hijackers. But there is so much more to the history of the Kurds (Saddam Hussein’s chemical attack on the Kurds-Halabja Massacre). 
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