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Flight Path
There is always a before and an after...
Sophie and Miles have a long marriage, twin daughters, a close-knit circle of friends and a happy home, until an accusation of inappropriate sexual conduct with a pupil blows everything apart. Sophie knows Miles as her husband of thirty years, the father to their twins and a dedicated teacher. Could he really be a sexual abuser? As the trial approaches, Sophie must ask herself if Miles is merely a bumbling innocent or a scheming manipulator. Flight Path explores the effect that an accusation of sexual assault has on a family. Guilty or Innocent, nobody wins.
Sophie and Miles have a long marriage, twin daughters, a close-knit circle of friends and a happy home, until an accusation of inappropriate sexual conduct with a pupil blows everything apart. Sophie knows Miles as her husband of thirty years, the father to their twins and a dedicated teacher. Could he really be a sexual abuser? As the trial approaches, Sophie must ask herself if Miles is merely a bumbling innocent or a scheming manipulator. Flight Path explores the effect that an accusation of sexual assault has on a family. Guilty or Innocent, nobody wins.
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 8, 2020
This was an unexpected read as I didn’t read the description of the novel in advance and the book title didn’t give much away.
Sophie and Miles are an older married couple in their 50s/60s with twin grown up daughters that have just started university. They have spent their lives living onsite at a lodge at Fordingbury private school for boys where Miles teaches and Sophie is the school matron. Their lives are turned upside down when Miles is accused of sexually assaulting one of the students. This unravels the foundation in Sophie and Miles’ relationship and the reader, as well as Sophie, questions if Miles is capable of such a criminal offence.
The writing is understated, articulate and detailed. It matches the British setting of the book as it is set in Oxford and London, and it provides an intriguing slow burn to the narrative, which creeps up on the reader and is really enjoyable to read. The book weaves between the past and present so that we get a deep insight into Miles and Sophie’s lives, which brings the characters to life.
The subject matter is disturbing to read but is relevant (there is even a reference to Jimmy Savile in the novel). E J Pepper tackles this topic in a very sensitive manner and it feels quite realistic despite this being a fictional story.
Only downside is that I felt it ended a little abruptly but maybe it was intentional to leave the reader continue to ponder about how things turned out. I’m still thinking about it a week after reading it! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this read. I wanted to keep reading each page. Really enjoyable and engaging.
Thank you to Netgalley and Matador at Troubador Publishing Ltd for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
Sophie and Miles are an older married couple in their 50s/60s with twin grown up daughters that have just started university. They have spent their lives living onsite at a lodge at Fordingbury private school for boys where Miles teaches and Sophie is the school matron. Their lives are turned upside down when Miles is accused of sexually assaulting one of the students. This unravels the foundation in Sophie and Miles’ relationship and the reader, as well as Sophie, questions if Miles is capable of such a criminal offence.
The writing is understated, articulate and detailed. It matches the British setting of the book as it is set in Oxford and London, and it provides an intriguing slow burn to the narrative, which creeps up on the reader and is really enjoyable to read. The book weaves between the past and present so that we get a deep insight into Miles and Sophie’s lives, which brings the characters to life.
The subject matter is disturbing to read but is relevant (there is even a reference to Jimmy Savile in the novel). E J Pepper tackles this topic in a very sensitive manner and it feels quite realistic despite this being a fictional story.
Only downside is that I felt it ended a little abruptly but maybe it was intentional to leave the reader continue to ponder about how things turned out. I’m still thinking about it a week after reading it! Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this read. I wanted to keep reading each page. Really enjoyable and engaging.
Thank you to Netgalley and Matador at Troubador Publishing Ltd for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
November 23, 2020
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
It is rare that I get so hooked in to reading a novel with such subtlety. However, it is the nuance with which Pepper details the effects of Miles’ sexual assault allegation that is one of the things that makes this story so compelling. I loved that much of the story was told from Miles’ point of view, as we come to question whether his version of the truth can be believed, just as Sophie does as the novel progresses. Whilst the ending frustrated me - I hate not knowing what happens - I liked that there wasn’t a forced, neat ending because life does not have a simple fix to complicated problems and this is something that is clear throughout the book.
It is rare that I get so hooked in to reading a novel with such subtlety. However, it is the nuance with which Pepper details the effects of Miles’ sexual assault allegation that is one of the things that makes this story so compelling. I loved that much of the story was told from Miles’ point of view, as we come to question whether his version of the truth can be believed, just as Sophie does as the novel progresses. Whilst the ending frustrated me - I hate not knowing what happens - I liked that there wasn’t a forced, neat ending because life does not have a simple fix to complicated problems and this is something that is clear throughout the book.
March 3, 2023
Flight Path was a bit of an anticlimax for me. The subject matter is right up my street - and it did grab me from the beginning. However one thing that let it down was the general dislike I had for all of the characters. There wasn't one redeeming factor about any of them. Miles was up his own backside, Sophie similarly (and the relationship she had with Ian lacked depth and excitement, felt unbelievable), their adult children were both completely self invested. I persevered towards the end as I wanted to know the outcome, and that in itself was a bit of an anticlimax too.
February 4, 2021
To say this book had me gripped from the begining, is an understatement! The biggest subject in this book is 'did he or didn't he'? Sophie is confused with him not be honest with her from the begining. There life has been turned upside down & the fall out is so difficult.
Loved the writing, loved the story line & the ending was so good. Recommended read.
Loved the writing, loved the story line & the ending was so good. Recommended read.
February 15, 2023
Well written with clearly drawn characters calling out for empathy in individual plot lines that are believable and intriguing.
This was surprisingly, unexpectedly good!!
This was surprisingly, unexpectedly good!!
January 25, 2021
3.5 star rating. Miles is a long-standing teacher in a minor public school in Oxford and content with his life until the day he is summoned to the headmasters office. He and his wife Sophie then find themselves living in a dingy part of London whilst he attempts to clear his name. I liked how it was written, in a very engaging way, making the reader interested in Miles’s fate. The main characters were doormats, wimpish and self serving with no redeeming traits at all. Miles and Sophie were always procrastinating and never actually said what they really thought to anyone which started to be repetitive. And all through the book, did he do it or not? The way it just ended was a bit of a cop out for me, a sort of “what was all that about” feeling, which some people might like. I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2021
This gave me a lot to think about. Do you ever really know a person...are they capable of unspeakable crimes and you hadn't a clue? This story takes you on a journey of a long married couple and the rifts caused by accusations and half truths told. I was invested fully on the truth coming out...
Thank you Netgalley for this arc
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews