BEFORE TAKEOFF

An engaging look at the airportlike maze of the human mind.

At the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, two teenagers meet while staring at a blinking green light on the wall that only they seem to notice. Latinx James is heading home to Chicago after visiting relatives in Tampa; Thai and French Michelle, who was raised in Switzerland, Indonesia, and Argentina, is heading to her current home in Quebec. They meet before the blackouts, the snow—falling inside the airport—and other bizarre occurrences that take place after Michelle presses the light, which in fact turns out to be a button. Bored after waiting around with his family, James at first welcomes the distraction, as he wants to get to know Michelle better. Soon, though, it becomes obvious that they’re trapped inside an airport that no one can enter or leave. This original narrative feels mature and contemplative, with its omniscient narrator describing ominous events that draw parallels between the strange corridors and passages of both the airport and the human mind. The focus alternates between the protagonists and random adult passersby as the two young people attempt to set things right. Although James and Michelle share a lot of chemistry from the get-go, their romance never detracts from an inward look into human nature that questions what makes us tick. This is a creative literary work with some thriller and romance elements that broaden its appeal.

An intelligent narrative featuring introspective characters.