"...Enclosed please find my sciatic nerve. Due to the wear and tear on it from hours upon hours in this miserable f**king O'Hare seating- these patent-pending O'Chairs- I am sending it to you for speedy repair. A return envelope is also enclosed, which you may address to me care of the wheelchair bank across from Gate K8, Chicago, Ill." *
American Airlines has cancelled all flights, and Bennie Ford is stuck in O'Hare airport, awaiting a flight to California for his daughter's wedding. Faced with the prospect of missing the wedding, he begins to compose a letter to AA to demand, not request, his money back. His letter begins as a rant to the airline, but as he explains the reason for his trip, he reflects on his life, his addiction to alcohol, his mother's struggle with bipolar disorder, and his estrangement from his wife and daughter. The ranting over the state of air travel is humorous, but the rest of the book is filled with Bennie's rambling, disjointed thoughts. The story of his mother is quite interesting, and I would have enjoyed reading more about her character, but we only get little pieces of her story. Fortunately, this is a short novel (under 200 pages). I would not have stuck with it much longer.
*From Dear American Airlines: A Novel by Jonathan Miles
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