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Title details for The Sky Was Ours by Joe Fassler - Available

The Sky Was Ours

A Novel

by Joe Fassler
Leanne Woodward
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
“An immersive fever dream of a novel, beautifully written and boldly imagined.” —Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author of The Empathy Exams
From prizewinning writer Joe Fassler comes a brilliant modern reimagining of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus as a story of obsession, longing, and the radical pursuit of utopia
It’s 2005, and 24-year-old Jane is miserable. Overworked, buried in debt, she senses the life she wanted slipping away—while the world around her veers badly off course, hurtling toward economic and ecological collapse. She wants to find something better. But she has no idea where to start. 
In a sudden and unprecedented burst of rebellion, Jane decides to abandon everything she knows, leaving behind her relationships and responsibilities to go on the road. That’s how she meets Barry, a brilliant and charismatic recluse living on an isolated homestead near New York’s Canadian border. For years, in secret, Barry’s chased an unlikely obsession: to build a pair of wings humans can fly in, with designs inspired by an obscure precursor to the Wright Brothers. It’s no mere hobby. He’s convinced his dream of flight will spark a revolution, delivering us from the degradation of modern capitalism and the climate chaos that awaits us. 
Jane is captivated by Barry’s radical vision, even as his experiments become more dangerous. But she’s equally drawn to the enigmatic Ike, Barry’s gentle, thoughtful son, who’s known no other reality—and who only wants to keep his father alive, tethered to ground and to reason. 
So begins an inventive, dazzlingly beautiful story about the human desire for transcendence—our longing to escape the mundane and glide into a euphoric future. Inspired by the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, The Sky Was Ours is a powerful and imaginative debut that explores the question: If you had access to technology that allowed you to escape the confines of your life, would you use it? And if Barry’s wings really could change the world, would that be freedom?

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 23, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593829592
      • File size: 445817 KB
      • Duration: 15:28:47

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from February 26, 2024
      The dream of flight enthralls an aimless young woman in Fassler’s stunning debut. In the mid-2000s, 24-year-old Jane Hannah-Smith impulsively flees her coding program in Ithaca, N.Y., landing in the tiny town of Lack near the Canadian border. There, she’s drawn to eccentric Barry Haliban, who’s living off the grid in a dilapidated house and working on making human-powered wings. His son, Ike, tries to convince him of the futility of the project and warns him of the risks after Barry sustains several serious injuries from failed flight attempts. Still, with Jane at his side, Barry persists, driven not just by the desire to fly but to share the knowledge with others. He envisions a secret unregulated movement of DIY wing-makers and fliers, one that would render national borders meaningless and the police powerless to stop them. When Barry and Jane finally soar through the air with their stick-and-linen contraptions, they’re intoxicated by the sensation (“There was nothing but the rush of wind in my ears and a sense of life-giving speed”). Fassler’s audacious premise is buoyed by pristine prose and vibrant characterizations. The result is a captivating fairy tale of the slippery line between fanatic and genius. Agent: Ellen Levine, Trident Media Group.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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