The Pilot's Wife
Anita Shreve's novel about an airline pilot's wife and daughter begins in the middle of the night when Kathryn hears a knock at her door. Robert, representing the pilots' union, has come to tell her that Jack, her husband, and all the passengers on his flight were killed when the airplane exploded over the Atlantic, near the coast of Ireland. Thus begins the long and tedious search Kathryn undertakes to find out the true cause of the tragedy.
Mattie, Jack and Kathryn's teenage daughter, finds the death hard to accept and is taken to her great-grandmother's house. But even before daylight, Kathryn's house is surrounded by the press, airline officials, and TV cameras. The tape in the plane's black box has been found, and the fact that there was an explosion in the captain's cabin leads many of those involved to believe that the captain, Jack Lyons, had committed suicide. If this is true, Kathryn's husband Jack is responsible for the death of over 100 passengers and crew, and she must face the consequences.
Robert Hart stays at Kathryn's house for a number of days, not only to help her through the crises but also to protect her from the news media. Besides this, he keeps her informed of any new information about the fatal crash. He is also interested in learning more about Jack, not only as a pilot but as a husband.
Kathryn claims that she and Jack had a happy married life, and she finds it difficult to blame him for the crash. However, after discovering several new clues at home that hint to another woman in Jack's life, Kathryn, accompanied by Robert, goes to London, where Jack stays between flights. Here she learns she's been deceived, not only by Jack, but by a female flight attendant as well. Even Robert has not been completely honest with her.
Shreves puts together a very suspenseful story, which is based mainly on the many surprises Kathryn must face and adjust to. At the end, however, things smooth out, though some readers may say unrealistically. Mattie catches her first fish, a 36 inch striper, and her mother wades out with a net to retrieve it. Then Robert drops by to apologize for his past mistakes and tries to renew his bittersweet friendship with Kathryn.
The Pilot's Wife, written in 1998, is Anita Shreve's sixth novel and was chosen by Oprah's Book Club as book of the month.