Book Review: The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone

 

The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone is a modern day tale of family ties and intrigue that has spanned decades. Abandoned by her father Jack one afternoon on a hurried visit to the family home, seven year old Annie is unceremoniously dumped in the care of his sister Sam. When con artist extraordinaire Jack Peregrine drove off, he left behind at Pilgrim’s Rest not only his flesh and blood, but his gift to Annie that day: an airplane, The King of the Sky. Despite these tumultuous beginnings, Annie goes on to become a strong, independent woman and top Navy pilot. When Jack suddenly calls and dramatically reenters her life decades later, asking her to bring The King of The Sky to St Louis, turmoil ensues. Whether he’s really dying like he claims or not, Annie doesn’t know.

The Four Corners of The Sky (Sourcebooks) tells the story of all the twists and turns of that reappearance. As the story unfolds, Annie gets dragged from her world of order and discipline into Jack’s chaotic life where he’s always on the run from somebody, be it the tenacious Miami Detective Daniel Hart, the Feds or some underworld heavies.

In many ways, The Four Corners of the Sky was a welcome breath of fresh air. The novel’s enormous appeal is how convincing the characters are. From Annie’s superficial soon-to-be ex husband Brad to the master of puns and Sam’s best friend Clarke, everyone is as large as life. Annie herself for example has spent her life not knowing who her mother was, her father only ever having named an old movie star on her birth certificate. Her hopes are pinned on Jack revealing this information before he passes away.

From the reader’s perspective, you can’t help but root for Annie to find out the truth and yet Jack’s very nature -a born swindler, a teller of tall tales from an early age – makes it hard to know throughout the book when he’s lying and when he’s not. He has after all made a lifetime career of being a conman. You become as skeptical of what Jack says as Annie is.

This adds that welcome extra layer of “I wonder if…” to the pages that book lovers everywhere will recognize. It brings out those delightful absorbing moments when you pause between chapters in a book to mull something over. I found myself a few times going back to reread what had been said, looking for clues and nuances I might have missed. The combination of colorful characters and what’s going unsaid by both voices and hearts is an irresistible one from this New York Times bestselling author.

How delicious it is to read a novel that makes one family and all its secrets so intriguing and feel so true to life. Michael Malone manages to convey, with barely a breath being broken sometimes, the undercurrents of the plot both subtly and with conviction. I didn’t want to miss the slightest hint of what history lay behind the doors of Pilgrim’s Rest and the sealed lips of the Peregrine family. I wasn’t disappointed. Thanks to the intricacy and depth Mr. Malone shared of their lives, no character was left faceless in my mind.

The Four Corners of the Sky reminds me of how family shapes us, whether we are willing participants in that molding or not, and of the bonds that are never truly broken by time nor distance. This is an exciting book, fashioned with a vitality and realism that will keep you turning page after riveting page until its deftly woven conclusion.

Like family reunions, the book is not without its humorous or tender moments either. By the end, you feel like you’d want to attend theirs and meet each and every one of them: that’s how much of an impression these engaging characters make upon you.

The Four Corners of the Sky deserves to fly straight to the top of the bestseller list. Dash out and buy it today! The novel is available direct from Sourcebooks here and all good bookstores.

(And if you read this Mr. Malone, thanks so much for such a captivating read. I’ll look forward to discovering more of your writing.)

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