Quick and fun short story by Chris Bohjalian! A flight attendant afraid of flying was an interesting premise.

Chris Bohjalian has a way with dialogue, so it's no surprise that this transcription of his one-act play featuring two characters reads like a thriller. I'm only sorry I didn't see it presented onstage.

Originally produced as a one-act play this is the story of a young flight attendant with a fear of flying, who is about to work her first transatlantic trip. When a veteran co-worker tries to help her through the turbulent crossing, she discovers that a fear of flying is the least of the young woman’s secrets.

This short story is written like a play and I really enjoyed it. The discussion between the two flight attendants, who just met, at different stages in their lives is interesting and brings different opinions about a sensitive subject. They have this discussion while waiting for takeoff and also during takeoff, while also discussing the young flight attendants fear of flying. Their remarks to one another are funny and even though the topic they are discussing is serious the discussion is light at some points.

Well written little excerpt, I finished this in like 15 minutes. But it was good, I would have liked to see how the rest of the story unfolds. Chris Bohjalian is an excellent and knowledgeable writer and I always love his material. I did like the character development.

This play by Chris Bohjalian, takes place on a commercial airline. Emily is one of the two airline attendants (Karen the other), who get to know each other on a transatlantic flight. Emily confides in Karen that she has chosen to be a flight attendant because of the advice of her life coach. The ensuing revelations about their relationship make this an interesting read.

I enjoyed this little jewel of a short story. The characters were vivid, the surroundings very familiar to anyone who has flown, and the story had a contemporary feel. My only complaint? I didn't want it to end!

A great short story/play about 2 flight attendants on a flight to London. The youngest Emily is scared of flying so the older one Karen tries to distract her by talking.. only this leads to more problems than a fear of flying.

I would love to read more about these 2 women and see what happens after the flight.

I was disappointed in this. Has the makings of being a great story but it literally took me 10 minutes to read.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Originally Wingspan was produced as a one-act play starring Grace Experience and K.K. Glick. It is the story of Emily, a young flight attendant who is about to embark on her first transatlantic trip. The only problem is that Emily is afraid of flying. Accompanying her on the flight is Karen, a veteran attendant. who is trying to help navigate her fears during a turbulent flight.

The two strike up a conversation and Karen discovers that a fear of flying is not Emily's only secret.

This is Bohjalian's first play and I don't suspect it will be his last. He is a master at dialogue and creating complex and interesting characters. Emily is both vulnerable and strong, she doesn't allow herself to get swallowed up by her fear.

Bohjalian piece is a commentary on issues women face and the backlash that looms as a result of their decisions.

This was such a great short story but left me wanting more. I would love to know what happens after the flight as well as the friendship forming between the two flight attendants. I really love how Karen's spunkiness was portrayed so quickly and in completion. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by Chris Bohjalian and maybe learning more about the characters within this story.

I wasn’t looking for a play to read, but the concept of this one really grabbed my attention. A flight attendant scared of flying. That’s different. And a premise that can go in many different directions. In this play it went in one…female empowerment. Just right for the MeToo era. Essentially this play is a one act dialogue between Karen and Emily. Karen, older, more experienced as both a flight attendant and a woman, Emily just 25 and freshly out of a long and very wrong sort of relationship with a much older man. Throughout a course of a flight to London Karen attempts to convince Emily to confront the man. That’s it, very straight forward. The moral told through an easy parallel is that if you can conquer one fear, you can conquer another. Frankly, didn’t really work for me plotwise, too trite, too thin. But the writing was very enjoyable and the original premise very intriguing…flying is in fact an absolutely terrifying thing that everyone has convinced themselves isn’t for the sake of convenience, but really…hurling through space at incomprehensible speeds and distances in a souped up metal can is just not natural. Anyone who has really experienced fear of flying would probably stayed out of planes for the duration. Conquering it time or two might be possible, but doing it all the time for a living seems highly implausible. Unless, that is, it’s used as a literary metaphor. But then again for a 30 minute read it entertained and for a play it was pretty dynamic. Thanks Netgalley.

Chris Bohjalian is one of the great storytellers and thus short one act story is no exception. Two flight attendants are readying for take off when the younger who is a last minute replacement makes a startling confession- she’ Afraid of flying, especially over the ocean. This is troubling as they are beginning a transatlantic journey to London and the conversation as the older
attendant draws her out shows she has far deeper secrets. The ending is unsatisfying and you are left wanting to know more, I hope there is a longer novel coming. Thank you to #netgalley #doubleday and #chrisbohjalian for the ARC and the opportunity to give my feedback.

This is a very short play that takes place during a transatlantic flight to London. There are two flight attendants, one veteran and one for whom this is the first transatlantic flight. The latter is also afraid of flying. We get to hear their conversation as the plane takes off and endures several bouts of turbulence.

I don't want to describe much of the plot because it's so short that there's no way to tell it without really giving it away. I will say I was surprised at the content compared to what the blurb says and if you're easily triggered, it might be sensitive. There isn't much detail and the conversation stays reasonably on the surface, which I found to be so unlike Chris Bohjalian's usual style. What I usually like about his books is how deep they are willing to go into emotional impacts of the consequences of his characters' choices/lives.

I'm still thinking about it, pondering what the author was trying to tell with this particular story. And a story that stays with you is always a good story for me.

Wingspan by Chris Bohja;oan is a short dialogue between 2 airline stewardess waiting for their plane to take off. The older one has had a lot of experience and feels calm and safe flying. The younger one has had little experience and only wanted to begin her career because she was challenged by an adult who was sexualy abusing her.It appears that the plane is taking off in a storm. Suddenly when they are in the air and look out the window all they see is blackness. That's the end of the short dialogue.. I'm not sure what the author wants to do with this material but I would like to learn that they are all alive and safe!