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Flight Patterns: A novel. (Original writing);
Abstract
Flight Patterns, a novel, focuses on Kristen Owen's rites of passage from childhood to adulthood, and her mother Lucy's parallel journey of self-discovery. Part One tells the story of Lucy's marriage and Kristen's childhood and of their difficult mother-daughter relationship. Trying to leave behind the incest and poverty of her childhood, Lucy remakes her memories for her children and immerses her life in theirs. At the same time, Kristen learns about sex and her own role as a girl in the terrorist atmosphere of junior high. In the novel's second part, teenage Kristen falls in love with the mysterious Cole, who returns her affections, then disappears. On the rebound, Kristen marries Eric. In Part Three, as soon as Eric realizes that the marriage is a mistake, Kristen determines to save it. In the process, she stumbles upon truths about her own family and forges new relationships with her mother, Cole, and Eric. As Lucy struggles to cope with her memories and connect with her daughter, she helps them both come to terms with the past.
Subject Area
American literature|Fine Arts
Recommended Citation
McCabe, Nancy, "Flight Patterns: A novel. (Original writing);" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9611059.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9611059