Flightsend is a remote countryside cottage, named for what it is to people: a refuge where those who need it can find some peace and an end to their wandering. Now that Kathy has lost her baby girl and the idyllic life she once dreamed of, she’s hell-bent on distancing herself and her daughter Charlie, trying to recover some of the peace they’ve lost. 

Rose was the name that Kathy and Sean had picked for their baby girl. She was a child who would have been doted over and loved as much as any baby could be. For Kathy’s boyfriend, Sean, Rose would have been his first child, but their future was torn apart in a single moment --- the baby was stillborn after developing a critical heart problem. Kathy and Sean could never have predicted this and were obviously devastated. Charlie, too, was floored by the turn of events, wanting badly to have a baby sister and a solid family life. But an older teen, Charlie is now beginning to realize that she’ll probably remain an only child for the rest of her life; her mom has decided to dump Sean simply out of not being able to handle what’s happened, and for Charlie, this means too much change and all at once.

Kathy seems to have gone crazy, going from a loving relationship with a wonderful man to having simply given up on everything that could end in a future. She asked Sean to move out, sold their home, and decided to change careers all in short order. She has set her sights on Flightsend, a cottage out in the middle of nowhere, intending to give up her teaching career and start a small business as a florist. And Charlie seems to have no choice at all in the matter, being forced to give up her friends, Sean, and her home all at once. Charlie has become bitter and blames her mother for throwing away everything they’ve built in the last five years, but Sean is quite simply the best thing that has ever happened to either one of them. Kathy won’t listen to Charlie or to reason; she clearly intends to forget, so Charlie has little choice but to stand by and watch.

Flightsend turns out to be a transforming experience for both Kathy and Charlie. In spite of her feelings, Charlie manages to adapt to change and build a new life. School is going well, aside from Charlie being pursued by an overly complementary art teacher; that situation starts out innocently and then quickly begins to get dangerously out of hand. But Charlie grows up a lot while she’s away at Flightsend, managing two jobs and her studies all at once. She’s a talented artist with enough skill to give her a future if she were to pursue it. But her life is balanced between school, art, growing up, and learning real responsibility in dealing with typical teenage social issues. Charlie also meets some people who give her some perspective on her life. One of these is a child she babysits, named Rose. Rose is a girl who happens to be about the age her baby sister would have been, and spending time with her gives Charlie the opportunity to play a mock role of older sister and perhaps to realize some of her own loss.

Kathy also settles into their new home, but all too quickly for Charlie’s comfort, moving on seemingly instantly in a romance with an older pilot. While Sean pursues Kathy with determination and with obvious love, Kathy seems unfazed, which is dumbfounding considering how much she seemed to really love Sean before. All of this is confusing to Charlie, who has gone through some tough changes and is also going through her formative teenage years. Charlie’s relationship with Sean is not one she is willing to simply give up after five years of living with him, but when Kathy refuses to acknowledge him, Charlie must redefine her relationship with Sean as well. Much of this is very difficult for Charlie, and she will be the one to ultimately figure out what kind of future she can have with him.

FLIGHTSEND is a story about learning responsibility and facing difficult choices, many of which life deals us unfairly. Charlie is a character who grows a great deal in this story, though some of the other characters (such as Kathy) often seem frustrating, unreasonable and shallow. Yet the story is really about Charlie and her transformation, going from a young girl who can’t accept her mother’s choices to one who eventually does --- in spite of the fact that she herself would choose differently. But while the focus and purpose of this novel originally seem to be compelling, the writing lacks a cohesive style to effectively bring the ideas together. The prose often seems jumpy and disjointed, making the story hard to follow sometimes. Readers who are particularly interested in teenage growth and the various situations that Charlie faces may really enjoy this book, but for others, I feel it runs the risk of losing the reader’s attention.

   -