Flight by Sherman Alexie - A Short Summary & Review
Flight by Sherman Alexie - A Short Summary & Review
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary:
Flight follows Zits, a troubled teenage foster child who feels abandoned by nearly everyone in his life. After committing an act of violence, he finds himself inexplicably traveling through time and inhabiting the bodies of others, each perspective revealing different moments of historical and personal conflict.
As Zits moves between identities, Native American, white, victim, aggressor, he is forced to confront cycles of violence, betrayal, and moral confusion. The novel uses speculative elements to explore deeply grounded questions about identity, responsibility, and empathy. It is less about time travel as fantasy and more about fractured belonging.
My favorite quote from the book:
Questions I pondered while reading:
My review:
This novel is built around perspective.
I found myself wishing, at times, that I could truly see so many points of view the way Zits is forced to. The structure compels readers to occupy uncomfortable spaces, those of historical oppressors, survivors, soldiers, and children caught in systems beyond their control.
One of the most striking threads in the novel is its portrayal of foster care instability. When systems designed to help are instead rotating and abandoning these children, the damage compounds. The book does not romanticize foster care; it portrays the emotional toll of inconsistency and neglect with painful clarity.
Violence is central, but the novel ultimately questions its utility. Each body Zits inhabits demonstrates how revenge, anger, or ideological certainty rarely produce healing. Instead, violence perpetuates fragmentation.
Flight is sharp, unsettling, and darkly humorous in places. It refuses easy moral categories. The novel challenges readers to confront how identity is shaped by history, by neglect, and by the stories we tell about ourselves.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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