Air by John Boyne [9/10]

So it surges to an end. What is forecast to be bundled into a long novel titled The Elements, to be published in September, a quartet of four novellas (see my review of Water; my review of Earth; my review of Fire), concludes with Air. Whereas the first three novellas tackled increasingly grim tales of sexual abuse, Air seems to offer the balm of resolution. Incorporating characters from all the prior novellas, the plot of Air commences with little drama: a father sits next to his teenage son on a plane heading to an unspecified meeting overseas, a journey the father must use to redeem himself and unite with his boy. As ever, Boyne has superb control of his material and the first half of the novel is a slow, hypnotic burn that peels away the abuses of the past. The author’s measured, calibrated style is on full display and the second half of Air is a wondrous journey leaping from the past to the future, a fitting and triumphant conclusion to a riveting series.