9 may 2021 - read 'Daisy', excerpt/short story publ in New Yorker ( )

This is a family drama---which usually means a "chick lit" type of book. However, make no mistake: this is a guy's book. Even more specifically, it is a middle aged guy's book. I doubt that I would have found much to interest me if I read this at 20, but at 50 it resonated as closely as stories told at a family reunion and at times I felt like an uncle grabbed me and said "Don't laugh, have you thought we could be talking about you?"

Jerry Battle would be unlikable if he weren't so honest. That is probably also why this book works. As self centered as they come, he is also a keen observer of human nature---particularly his own. Jerry has to constantly remind himself of how he SHOULD feel or act at a certain time and take himself to task for falling short. Using the imagery of flight we take a seat next to Jerry as he, in his annoyingly detached way, describes the events of his life and those of his family. Always from a safe emotional distance in the clouds. From above one can survey the devastated terrain and accurately assess the damage, but does not get one's feet dirty.

That is until both metaphorically and physically he is taken on a white knuckled ride out of those clouds and onto the ground. And into the real. Where his presence makes the pain unavoidable and and where he can finally take his place among the people in his life.

Brilliant book. At times hilarious and heart-breaking. I read slowly and found myself stopping and re-reading countless times to enjoy the beauty of a phrase or to ponder the truth of what Lee is telling us. ( )

2.5 stars. I had a very difficult time seeing this narrator as a real person. ( )

Aloft by Chang-rae Lee
3.5 stars
343 pages

Aloft is a novel about an ordinary man fast approaching 60 who is questioning his ability to engage in life. His loved ones accuse of him of taking the easy route by distancing himself emotionally when life gets tough. This is exemplified by his love of flying his small plane, alone, as a means of escape. The book is told in the first person tending toward a stream of consciousness style, fairly coherent but slow moving.

It’s a nice little story, well written and occasionally humorous, but it seems to be more about the craft than engaging the reader. “Sure I tagged along a couple of times with some guys on the crews to a Giants game at the Stadium, but I couldn’t quite muster the flushed-neck hoorahs of my spittle-laced compadres, and I’d only rise halfway to the occasion, getting up on my toes for a big play and groaning in concert with the thousands and drinking maybe one jumbo brew too many. Afterward I’d just trudge down the banked exit ramp with only a syncopated tic in my gut, a half-lurch like nothing really got started, never quite feeling the pure sheer liberty that comes from stomping your feet and hollering out your lungs because some burly throwback with a digit sewn onto his shirt has just dived for and reached a certain chalk mark on the field.”

Chang-rae Lee does an excellent job of capturing an ordinary man who has tried to coast through life emotionally, eventually forced out of his comfort zone by the women in his life coupled with family crisis. The narrator, however, is the only character that is well developed and he is, well, ordinary so failed to rouse my interest much of the time. The occasional passage that resonated wasn’t enough to overcome the pace and my lack of interest in the characters and storyline. ( )

Audiobook performed by Don Leslie

From the book jacket: Aloft offers a reexamination of the American dream from the inside out, through the voice of Jerry Battle, a suburban middle-aged man who has lived his entire life on Long Island, New York. Battle’s favorite diversion is to fly his small plane solo; slipping away for quick flights over the Island, Jerry has been disappearing for years. Then a family crisis occurs, and Jerry finds he must face his disengagement in his relationships.

My Reactions:
Jerry Battle is the narrator of this character-driven novel. It is his unavailability – emotionally and physically – that colors all the relationships he has. He reflects on his deceased wife, Daisy, who is apparently bi-polar, and her death, but seems really not to understand (or want to face?) what really happened. His long-term live-in girlfriend has left him, though she is still a part of his family circle since she basically raised his children and they love her. He cannot seem to admit – to himself, or more importantly to Rita – how much he misses her, or how culpable he was in destroying their relationship.

He prides himself on how well he has handled his wife’s death, raised their children alone, and managed the family business, but he seems completely unaware of what is really going on. At times he behaves like a teenager – getting into ridiculous contest to prove to his ex-girlfriend, her current fiancé, and/or to himself that he is really THE ALPHA MALE. And then he’s perplexed by his own son’s need to prove the same … with a bigger house, fancier cars, etc.

My reactions to Jerry were as puzzling as his own reactions to what’s going on around him – I was angry, confused, frustrated, ready to give up, wanted to go on, and ultimately loved him and his family. I’ll definitely try another of Lee’s novels.

Don Leslie did a fine job performing the audio version. His inflection seemed to perfectly portray Jerry’s emotional distance, and tardy awakening.
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