SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Conor Broekhart lives on the Saltee Islands where he grows up with a princess. But when he witnesses a crime, he is framed and thrown into prison. But both of his parents were scientists, and so is Conor, who thinks the only way to escape the island prison is to fly. But even if he does, what will he do next? Get revenge or leave the islands for good?
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Conor is hardworking and smart. But he is also slightly naive and has a hard time expressing himself sometimes. He has to learn to change when he is imprisoned.
Isabella is mostly in the story as a child. She is charming and funny then. But as an adult she is rather unlikable, mainly because her only purpose is to be Conor's love interest. And their relationship feels rather cheesy and unrealistic. Also, she seems to have no faults.
Victor Vigny is a teacher to both Isabella and Conor. He is witty and charismatic. He also encourages his students.
Linus is and American who is imprisoned on the island prison. He has no sight, but is an amazing musician. He also has a sense of humor that keeps him going. He is important to Conor because he is his only friend in prison.
Bonvilain is is the main villain of the story. He is rather dramatic and egotistical and kind of comes off as a caricature.
Billtoe is in charge of the prisons and works under Bonvilian.
INSTANTLY IN LOVE
The story goes from Conor's childhood to his teen years. He is portrayed as being rather lovesick about Isabella. Victor encourages him to share his feelings. The problem is...we never see him develop these feelings. We just get Conor saying he gradually fell in love, and we have to take his word for it. Isabella seemed likable enough as a child, but we don't see her develop either.
So the whole relationship just feels cheesy and forced. Basically, the romance wasn't important enough to develop, so it wasn't given the time of day. I would have preferred that it was only hinted that he had a crush on Isabella. And that was all.
But all throughout the story, Conor mentions Isabella in a cringe-inducing fashion, calling her “Dear Isabella” ect. It's just not something I could believe. He was just a kid when he developed a crush. And his over dramatic tone about her was obnoxious at its worst, or unrealistic at its best.
ISABELLA
Isabella doesn't get any scenes until near the end of the book. We see her with Conor's father, and his family again, at a party with Bonvilain. She reveals some crucial information that must have taken some time to obtain. And she seems brave.
But since we never see her investigating or have any other scenes where she is not courage and thus must develop, it all fails to endear her to the reader. I wanted her to be worthy of Conor, but I just could never like her. At the most, I was indifferent.
CONOR & LINUS
The most imporant relationship, indeed the only one really portrayed well is between Conor and Linus. While many characters come off as charming, they tend to be two dimensional because of their lack of development in time in the story. Victor and Isabella are two examples.
But Victor and Linus' interactions are not just amusing, but also deep, as Linus probes his friend's real motivations. They get on well but also argue. They feel like real people having a real relationship.
FAMILY FIRST?
The last part of the book is where Conor debates what he should do. He eventually witnesses his parents through a window and feels great emotion. The only problem is no relationship is portrayed between him and his father or him and his mother. We are merely told that they are close. So the pain he felt rang hollow to me.
A large portion of the story revolves around a misunderstanding between Conor and his family. So it's a big element.
CONOR FINN
Conor has to learn to take on a new persona in prison, so he changes his name. Linus tells him he must forget everyone in his old life in order to survive.
We witness his intelligence and skill when a prisoner threatens him. And it wasn't overnight, as Conor wrestles with the idea of killing a man, and if he can truly change. It's not easy transition, so when the story comes back years later, the new Conor is believable.
CONOR'S FATHER
Declan, Conor's father has lost his spirit since his son has vanished. He gets one scene where we witness this and then he gets revived.
I think it was sweet, but as I barely knew the character, it didn't have the strong impact on me that was intended. I get that it served a purpose to the story, to make Conor jealous later on, but I wish I had gotten to know Declan better.
STRUCTURE-SPOILERS
We first get Conor's childhood, and then we go to his teenage years. From there we learn about his life and his relationship to Isabella. After that, he witnesses a crime and is put in prison.
The next portion is meeting Linus, facing off against a prisoner, and coming to the realization that he has to change. But doubting if he can. We get a climax that reveals his fate.
The story skips ahead a few years, where Conor is planning his escape. After he manages this, he has to return for some hidden items. He has a temporary home, gets a friend, and then decides to confront Bonvilain.
PROBLEMS IN STRUCTURE?-SPOILERS
One reason I think I had problems with this story was Conor's life after he escaped prison. He goes to meet an old prisoner's brother like he promised, but otherwise, he seems unchanged. I wanted to see him go back and forth between being Finn and Conor. After all, he grew up in an upperclass family with scientist parents. He was sheltered from any real problems that most people face.
I thought he would think it impossible to go back to that life because of what he had become, but he seems to not wish to return because he can't forgive his parents. And he doesn't struggle with this duality once his freedom is obtained. I thought he should have.
Conor only changes his mind about getting revenge on Bonvilain once he learns his parents are to be killed. That would have been fine, if had previously been motivated to leave by more than hatred of his parents.
Linus and Conor have a few good arguments that hint that his reasons for leaving are wrong. But Conor is not completely wrong, his odds of defeating Bonvilain are slim. And he says he learned about the real world in prison. This seems silly, he had to go to prison to learn that attacking a man with so much power would be suicide?
I wish he had gotten to know Malarky better (a fellow inmate who belonged to a gang that Conor joined). But that character was rather a caricature that had no depth. Perhaps others that he had known in prison could have come to his aid. But he never makes any real allies it seems.
If things kept falling into place, hinting that Conor had a fighting chance, then his final choice would seem perfect.
LEARNING THE TRUTH
I think it would have helped the story if Conor had learned or received hints that his parents were innocent of any wrongdoing. Instead, he learns it all at once, when he confront Bonvilain in the climax.
He could have learned of Isabella, or his parents, but struggled with the idea that they could accept who he has become. Instead he seems to wallow in his resentment and its not becoming.
CLIMAX
Conor finally decides that he has no choice to confront Bonvilain. He does so, and sees his family and Isabella again in the process. Bonvilain is defeated. We get a small epilogue that reveals Conor's future. He seems unaffected by his time as Finn.
CONCLUSION
My favorite part of the story was Conor's time in prison, as well as his relationship with Linus. There is plenty of action and suspense as well. But the majority of relationships that Conor has are shallow and unfulfilling. As our many of the side characters, even if some are funny.
And as much as I was rooting for Conor, he lacked depth regarding any struggle between being Finn and Conor. He simply turns of the switch and goes back to being Conor.
I give “Airman” three stars.
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