Safe Travels

“Just dreaming it is nice… Even if it doesn’t happen. Just dreaming it is nice.” Truth.

11.13 Ask The Passengers

Whenever I am in an airport I can’t help but wonder where all those people are going.  Are the going towards something or leaving something behind?  Is it the end of their journey or the beginning?  And somehow it always feels both happy and sad to me.  In Ask the Passengers, Astrid looks up to those planes and sends her love to the travelers.  She sends it to them because she feels like she doesn’t have anyone else to give it to, so instead of not giving it at all she gives her love to strangers – isn’t that wonderful?  Isn’t it powerful?  Asking teenagers to not give up on it but to give it anyway.  Thank you AS King.  In a brilliant twist, King also shows those passengers receive Astrid’s love, right when they need it, and isn’t that the truth too.  Aren’t there moments when we all just need something from someone, anything: a smile, a hello, just a bit of positive energy, something to help us through.  In the story, Astrid is discovering something about herself and as she puts it out there she is desperate for those around her to give her some love back; some raise to the occasion and some disappoint in heartbreaking ways, but the important thing is that she keeps trying.

I keep wondering why I haven’t heard more about King’s work.  This is her fourth book; I have read one other and can’t wait to get my mitts on the rest. She is really great at writing stream of consciousness in a way that rings very true.  I keep wanting to compare her to John Green as their books share a compulsively readability trait, but while many complain that Green’s characters act older than they appear (a la Dawson’s Creek) King’s characters act more true to the reality (a la Friday Night Lights) and I would imagine that fact sends some parents through the roof – these kids cuss, have sex, and think their parents are idiots.  Let’s be real, that is real. I have to think that is what has kept these books off my radar, and that is a real shame because while her characters do those things that parents hate they are also to the core good.   They support their friends, search for who they real are independent of what other people want them to be, and they don’t give up on those idiot parents even though they have every reason to.  As a parent, I hope my son will do this for me and I thank King for showing him how.