Blunt Trauma: After the Fall of Flight 111

by Ivy Bannister

On September 2, 1998, a fire in the cockpit sent Swissair Flight 111 plunging into the sea off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. All 229 men, women and children on board perished, including Ivy Bannister's sister, Patty. Set in Dublin, New York and the South Shore of Nova Scotia, Blunt Trauma is the true story of how one family's life was ravaged by the terrible event. When Ivy Bannister switched on BBC radio from her home in Dublin the following morning, she had no idea that that the first thing she'd hear would change her life forever. An ocean away from the tragedy that claimed her sister's life, Ivy soon left her family to be with her 80-year-old mother in New York City. What follows is a poignant day-by-day account of how she coped with the tragic death of her sister, and the painful practicalities of identifying remains and disposing of possessions. Blunt Trauma takes a powerful look at tragedy, grief and acceptance in an intimate, fast-paced, and sometimes startling story that shows the past as illuminated by the present and explores how catastrophe shatters imperfect familial relationships.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Paula Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

After all the diatribe & verbal abuse Ivy reveals about her mother's treatment of her & her sister lost in Swissair 111- I was disappointed not to hear any more about her vitriolic mother.

[Evelyn fidler · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I was never sure where the author was going with this book? Her relationship with her mother, or sister. Towards the end I had to skip over a bit of the description of her caring for her mother in New York. Also, who writes a book called "Love"?