Gravity is the Thing

I am a big fan of Jaclyn Moriarty (disclosure: I met her about a year ago and was mute with fan-girlishness) and her very distinctive voice. It seemed a little odd at first to encounter that familiar voice in the unfamiliar context of a strictly adult novel, and it took me a couple of chapters to settle in for the ride, but once I was comfortable, what a ride it is! The trademark Jaclyn Moriarty impishness, wit and adroit plot twists are all in play, in Gravity Is The Thing, in a story that begins with an unlikely flying course and ends by being about a broken marriage, a lost brother, a beloved son (Oscar is one of the most gorgeously captured small children I have ever read) and ultimately, the power of friendship and acceptance.

There is no magic in this novel, but it's still magical. It's clever, but it's not just clever, it's touching and funny and sad. It's an exploration of unresolved grief in the form of Abigail's missing brother Robert, and a heartbreaking portrait of a marriage. It's beautiful and engaging, and it's absolutely worth pushing past the strangeness of the first couple of chapters, I promise you.