Greg Baxter's Munich Airport tells the story of a tragic journey a man and his father make to Germany to bring home the remains of Miriam, the narrator's sister, who was found starved to death in her Berlin flat. Narrated by her brother, the whole novel is told without chapters, hopping in and out from past to present to future, like the fog that surrounds the airport when the father and son get there on the final leg of their tragic journey to bring Miriam home - a fog which causes chaos for passengers stranded there - the story tells of a mind wrapped in loss and confusion at how to comprehend and come to terms with such a shocking loss.
The story weaves in and out from the present, the father and son's final few hours in the airport, to memories of the weeks they have just spent in Germany trying to arrange to take Miriam home to the States; to childhood recollections; to the rare few times the narrator or his father saw his sister in the last decade. The timeline even skips slightly into the future too so you really do need to pay attention and focus on what is a jumpy, grief-stricken mind.
The style of the chapterless novel is such a perfect metaphor for the mind of these men whose lives have become a sudden jumbled horror of sorts and Baxter really takes the reader through the very raw pain, grief, shock, sometimes recklessness, and guilt of these men.
The trip is important for them in many ways: as the sole members left of their family; for the chance to spend more time together than they have had in years and probably will ever again; to retrace the steps of their tragic daughter and sister; and try to grasp just how something so terrible happened without them ever really knowing or taking the time to go to her before it was too late; and to understand themselves - and their relationship - in ways they have never faced before.
Munich Airport is a really poignant novel in so many ways. If you are in the mood for an easy, happy-go-lucky book this might not be for you but if an original read with real substance is what you seek, I'd recommend picking this up.
Munich Airport is published by Penguin and is released in paperback April 2nd.
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