Day: October 3, 2018

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

Author: Chris Bohjalian
Published: March 13, 2018
Audiobook

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 10-23, 2018
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She’s a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, already counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police—she’s a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home—Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it’s too late to come clean—or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did?

Jessica’s Review:

The Flight Attendant was the first book I have read by Chris Bohjalian and it will not be my last!  It genuinely surprised me how much I enjoyed it as Cassandra (Cassie) is not likeable at all!  She is very much the unreliable narrator who finds herself in a unique situation in a country that is oppressive to women: She wakes up and the man lying next to her is dead and she has no idea what happened! 

Cassie is unlikeable for several reasons: she is a very promiscuous alcoholic who often blacks out.  She really lives up the flight attendant lifestyle! 

Unreliable narrator stories are hit or miss for me, but The Flight Attendant was a hit!  I was drawn into the story from the beginning and never lost my interest in it.  We also have multiple narrators, and you know those are some of my favorite kinds of novels!  Despite not liking her, I really wanted to know what was going to happen to Cassie!  There was even a moment that happened that I was not expecting and my mouth dropped as I was listening to the novel while I was washing dishes.  Then we had the Epilogue, which was a great ending!  I will be reading Chris Bohjalian again! 

The Flight Attendant is recommended.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK