Love Me Anyway

Hawk, a former flight attendant, chronicles a pair of United Airlines rookies in her uneven debut. Fresh from an abusive marriage, the flight attendant training program is 23-year-old Emily’s chance to strike out on her own and see the world. Emily’s roommate KC divides her down time between caring for her ailing mother and preparing to confront the father who abandoned her when she was a child. Being a flight attendant in 2000 is a far cry from the glamorous 1960s, but it has its perks, and KC and Emily adapt to the erratic hours and code of conduct. Determined to help Emily open up, KC introduces her to clubbing and coworkers—including Tien, a kind, much older, married family man. Emily and Tien strike up a friendship that quickly evolves into an affair. But not only is there an expiration date on their relationship—the entire airline industry is about to undergo a devastating shift after 9/11, signaling the end of an era. Though Hawk provides a fascinating snapshot of an industry seldom explored in fiction, the cycling between first person (Emily) and third person (KC) is distracting, and Hawk’s prose turns didactic as the pace slackens. Agent: Rachel Sussman, Chalberg & Sussman Agency. (May)