Mattie has always been great at making bad decisions. When she finally leaves her deadbeat boyfriend, she can’t help but steal his most prized possession on her way out. During a short stay with her stepfather, she learns both that her grandmother willed Mattie a house and that she is pregnant. With no other options, Mattie drives 800 miles to her grandmother’s hometown. While she waits for the will to go through, Mattie finds that her deceased mother was the popular golden child of the town, but Mattie only remembers her mother as an alcoholic who bounced from boyfriend to boyfriend and never talked about her past. In The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo, Mattie dives deeper into the mystery of who her mother really was and in the process discovers more about herself.
This novel will not be for everyone, as Mattie is a complicated character – she rides the razor edge between being likeable and unlikable so closely that many readers will end up hating her. She lies, cheats, and steals, but she is also scrappy, honest, and unapologetic, and her journey of growth is the heart of the novel. The author depicts the system of poverty, addiction, and abuse that runs through families in a realistic way, and how letting go of the past can be healing. The central mystery of the book isn’t quite as profound as the author seems to think it is, but its effect on Mattie is more interesting than the mystery itself. This polarizing novel will spark deep discussion among friends and family, and would be a great book for a book club.
Review by Shannon Wood
Adult Services Librarian
Nordonia Hills Branch Library
