Blume taps into this fear and wariness well through a variety of characters who are impacted directly and indirectly by the crashes, including Miri, a 15-year-old girl who later describes this year as the worst year of her life.įor Miri, it’s primarily a coming-of-age story, as she falls in love for the first time, meets her father and starts to keep secrets from her family (like any other teenager eventually does). How frightening would that have been in real life, at a time when aviation was still establishing itself as a safe and reliable form of transport. It’s sobering reading when you realise that this story was inspired by real events – that is, three planes did crash within three months in Elizabeth, New Jersey (click here for an article showing a picture of one of the crash sites). In The Unlikely Event is a captivating, deeply moving and unforgettable novel, written with the same warmth and authenticity that have won the hearts and minds of readers the world over for decades. Inspired by real events, Judy Blume uses her imagination to interweave the stories of three generations of families, friends and strangers whose lives are forever changed in the aftermath. But somehow, life continues – and amid grief and loss, hope and love survive. In Elizabeth, the plane crashes open up new wounds and mysteries – they bring some families together and tear others apart. Each of these disasters was devastating not only for those on board, but also for the close-knit community of people on the ground. When three planes crashed in Elizabeth, New Jersey within the space of three months in the early 1950s, Newark airport was closed for a year. Outside the window, the wing broke away from the plane. She held the baby close, feeling the warmth of his little body, kissing his soft cheek.
This is the first book written for adults by Blume that I have read. Plane crashes seem to be a theme this week, with Judy Blume’s In The Unlikely Event rounding out three books with that as the inspiration. It’s interesting how often one book flows on to another, whether by theme, a place or a name.
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