Night Flying by
Rita Murphy is a tiny little book, clocking in at just over 120 pages. It’s a
nice book to read when you need some fast yet fulfilling fiction. I read this
one a few years ago, and re-read it this week while I was waiting for a book in
come in at the library. The premise is about, well, night flying.
Narrator Georgia Louisa Hansen is from a family of female
fliers. Her Great-Great-Great Grandmother Louisa Hansen lost her husband and
baby boy in a boating accident in the 1800s. She used to fly out across the
water at night in her sleep looking for her loved ones. Thus, the flying gene
was passed down but only to the Hansen women.
The Hansen women are one for rules. Only fly at night. Only
eat meat. No men allowed. Do not fly alone until you are 16. No pets allowed.
Fifteen-year old Georgia’s life is regimented by these rules, which are
enforced by her grandmother. Her mother, Maeve, a frail woman, is not allowed
to fly. Georgia learns the way of the skies through her aunts Suki and Eva. The
three sisters, Grandmother, and George make up the Hansen household. George has
never met her father.
The women never have to worry about money. Georgia’s
great-grandfather created a special part that makes flushing a toilet easier,
and the women live off of the inheritance, or as they call it the “toilet
money.” Georgia’s grandmother threatens banishment from their estate and the
seizing of their “toilet money” if the sisters or Georgia break any rules. Georgia’s
Aunt Carmen was banished from the family after she broke the rule—Georgia has
never been clear on the details.
But when the week of Georgia’s sixteenth birthday rolls
around, Carmen flies into town (literally), and family secrets begin to creep
out of the Hansen sisters. And a rebellion against Grandmother’s rules slowly
starts.
There are a few gaps—for example, I would have liked to
understand the grandmother’s relationship with her husband. What happened in
their marriage? Was he banned from the premises? The grandmother refused to let
any of her children have a man around—for fear they will challenge her
authority—but how did she have four kids with the same man? He must have been
around for at least a few years.
Night Flying is a
wonderful little piece of young adult fantasy, and a great piece for the young
feminist reader. It’s about strong women, making their own rules, and fighting
oppression (in the form of the grandmother character). In some ways, it appears
very radical—with the “no men allowed” rules and all. However, as the book goes
on, those old rules begin to dissolve and the reader is left with strong women
who are not anti-man, but anti-authoritarian. A quick google search finds Night Flying on many lists of young
adult feminist books, like this one. I definitely recommend this one for a
quick, thoughtful, feminist read.
