Blackbox: A Novel in 840 Chapters by Nick Walker

I remember being able to read a book a day when I was in high school. It wasn’t that I had a lot of free time—in fact, thinking back on all my activities then, how did I have time to read at all? I had after school clubs, marching band practices, tennis practices, youth symphony, violin practice, Chinese school, homework… I guess it all comes down to making time to do things you love. Having a willingness to stay up late reading helps a lot too.

These days (now that I am oh so much older), I can’t seem to find long stretches of time to sit and read. I also lose concentration after about half an hour, whereas I used to be able to read for four or five hours straight. I consider myself doing well if I finish a book a week. Sleep has become progressively more important than finishing a book.

I did read Blackbox by Nick Walker in one day, however. Not only was it a viscerally entertaining read, but the circumstances worked out just right, where I had to spend a night at my parents’ house for some reason, while they went out. I had the entire evening to pass by myself, with none of the usual distractions at my own home.

I will admit that it was the title of the book that grabbed my attention. In whole, it is Blackbox: A Novel in 840 Chapters. I am such a sucker for authors that put the number of chapters right there in the title. Plus, I love short chapters (they make everything seem more meaningful, not to mention fun) and a 300-page book with 840 chapters must have really short chapters.

The premise sounds right up my alley as well, as I am drawn to disparate stories and characters that are interwoven in surprising ways.

“In America and Britain and the sky in between, an apparently disparate group of people is connected, whether intimately or by chance, to the tragic death of a stowaway on board flight AF266. As the action veers across countries and time zones, the stowaway's real identity is revealed through stolen black box recordings, answering machine messages, sitcom outtakes, and court transcripts. Told in a shifting, circular narrative, the interwoven lives make up a jolting and layered puzzle that builds to a heart-stopping, chilling climax.”

Blackbox was definitely a fun, quick read, but it was nothing very deep. Much like the books I used to devour in high school. It reminds me that I am currently in the middle of Ghostwritten by David Mitchell, which is of course, writing of a much higher caliber. But it is similar in that the chapters seem to have nothing in common, until a character or a clue comes up here and there. I am waiting to see how they are all going to fit together in the end. I am waiting for that “aha” moment that these types of narratives are all building toward. Blackbox was much more obvious, and the plot was a bit clichéd. But though the critics hated it, I thought it made for a fine evening of reading, with nothing else to do.

Blackbox: A Novel in 840 Chapters by Nick Walker

Tags: book+reviews thrillers airplanes Nick+Walker