Debra Bowling

WORKS by Debra Bowling

Reviews of The Memory of Flight

"Debra Bowling's debut novel resonates wit achingly insightful portrayals of daughter and mother in the slowly changing Alabama of the 1960s and '70s...[It] takes the reader deep into the anguished terrain of two women struggling for equilibrium in a harsh and unforgiving world...Told with astonishingly tender intimacy, The Memory of Flight is an exquisite portrait of women enduring the unendurable. A deep and profound read." -Elizabeth Bruce, author of And Silent Left the Place

"I loved this book. I heard the author speak and do a short reading...I thought the writing was beautiful, so I bought a copy...It grabbed me." -Susan Crawford, author of The Pocket Wife and The Other Widow, Goodreads

Five Stars - "Emotionally riveting...The Memory of Flight is an emotional and satisfying read. Highly Recommended." -Diane Stanton for Story Circle Book Reviews

"Debra Bowling is a Southern writer with a capital S, producing serious literature in the tradition of Faulkner, McCullers, and O'Connor...This skillful portrayal thrust you into the painful dimension of a woman and her daughter, following each of them in individual word portraits - snapshots in a sense- over more than a decade and a half...I hope she keeps writing." -Richard K. Judy, author of Thru: An Appalachian Trail Love Story

"Don't let the sweet cover fool you. There are heavy issues contained within this novel... A heartbreaking excavation of a child growing up contained within her mother's mental illness, but with the promise of eventually breaking free and finding a life of her own... The mind-set of the time period is told simply in the interaction between characters, which is always better than someone constantly announcing prejudice or sexist attitudes. Here, it is a part of the atmosphere... Such a tender, moving coming-of-age [story]... Wonderful writing, [with] characters that are very alive and human." -Kathleen Dandeneau, Goodreads

THE MEMORY OF FLIGHT

Marilyn's quiet, mysterious beauty belies the turmoil inside her head. After her alcoholic husband becomes increasingly violent, she attempts to jump off the bridge in Guntersville, Alabama. She soon escapes with her children to her parent's farm, where her tiny house becomes both refuge and prison. At six years old, Ginny is afraid of her father and puzzled by her mother's cold harsh behavior. She seeks comfort in her grandmother's company and the discovery of her father's old Brownie camera. As Marilyn's mental health declines, Ginny becomes increasingly obsessed with photography and the solace it provides her. After high school, Ginny leaves with the belief that she is free from her difficult childhood and is starting her own life only to find she is drawn into a murder that forces her to face and heal the wounds of the past.

Quotes from The Memory of Flight

"The highway was lined heavily with trees, dense and overgrown, blocking out much of the fading light from the sky. As they turned the curve, two eyes glowed in the distance, returning the headlight's glare. The eyes held hers, and she wondered what animal had stopped, blinded by CB's lights, its motionless body waiting, frightened by the sound of the motor racing toward it. Maybe it was waiting for fae to decide if the car would smash it to death or pass on by. Was it too scared to run?"

"They drove up and inside the huge metal cage that wrapped around concrete with big, strong arms. She wondered if the arms made the bridge safer, or if it was only to make people think it was. The holes in the cage were still big enough to fall through. Or jump through. A shiver began..."

Debra Bowling

Quick Links

Selected Works

Literary Fiction

WORKS by Debra Bowling

Reviews of The Memory of Flight

THE MEMORY OF FLIGHT