Gwangju International Center

NIGHT OVER WATER

AUTHOR: Ken Follet

GIC LIBRARY GENRE: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

STARS: 4 out of 5

REVIEWER: William Urbanski       

Ken Follet is my favorite author. Ever since reading his 1,000 page opus "The Pillars of the Earth" many moons ago, which is also at the GIC Library, Follet is the one and only author whose books I have made a deliberate effort to read.  Most of his books share some common features - for example, they often lack a central character and instead, follow a number of different story lines that eventually interweave to create an intricate and suspenseful tapestry. That being said, Follet's writing style is surprisingly engaging and easy to read. Despite the myriad characters and plot details, I find myself enjoying the story to the point of distraction (and sometimes negligence of my other daily duties).

Ken Follet is definitely what I would call a "feel-good writer." The hero gets the girl (or vice versa), the bad guy gets his punishment and for the most part, those who survive until the final pages end up living happily ever after.  If I have one criticism of Follet's works in general, it is that after reading 5 or 6 of his books, they tend to be somewhat predictable. But this could also be due to the fact that they are so well-written that following the series of plot developments increases my situational awareness to the point of prescience. 

Another strong point of a Ken Follet book is its strict attention to historical details, and he obviously spends countless hours making sure to get his facts straight.

"Night Over Water" tells the story of one of the earliest trans-Atlantic flights during the opening days of World War II. Among its passengers of the magnificent and ludicrously luxurious Boeing 314 are barons, actresses, FBI agents, a jewel thief, a world-prominent physicist and many other people trying to escape the war. Needless to say, there is a colourful cast of people, representative of all walks of life.

In my opinion, the 30-hour-flight of the Clipper is a metaphor for the personal transformation many of the characters undergo.   Those that succeed in making the transition are rewarded and better off, while those who resist changing are deprived of such benefits.  To clarify my point, the jewel-thief decides to not steal a priceless broach from his love interest's mother, ending up with not only with the girl, but also with something else. But, the overweight, racist who believes he is honestly better than others, refuses to amend his ways and thus loses both of his daughters and the respect of the rest of his family.

As stated above, the outcome is predictable, but "Night over Water" has enough twists and turns to keep any reader turning pages until the end. Also, just as in life in general, the destination is not as important as the journey, or in this case, the trans-Atlantic flight.

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