Lynn Steger Strong’s new novel Flight is a complex look at family and loss that takes place over the course of one Christmas. The book follows three grown siblings — Martin, Henry, and Kate — who come together for the holidays following the loss of their mother, Helen. Usually, the family gathers at their childhood home in Florida, but for this first year without her, they’ve decided to convene at Henry’s place in upstate New York. There’s the question of what to do with Helen’s house, and all have complicated, conflicting feelings about it. Martin and his wife Tess think they should sell and split the profits equally, Kate is hoping to move in and live there with her family, and Henry wants to sell the land to the state in hopes that it’ll become a wildlife preserve. Helen was the kind of larger-than-life matriarch who always knew what to do, and now the siblings and their spouses will have to figure out this weighty decision on their own. This, in essence, is the whole plot. It’s a simple framework but it contains character studies that cut deep, exquisite language, and poignant insights about how we care for each other and how we move forward in the face of loss.

Even though it takes place during Christmas, Flight is far from a feel-good holiday read — the book explores grief and infertility, addiction and the climate, among other topics — and yet, its heartening message that a flawed, fractured family can still find ways to love each other might just make it the perfect thing to read this season. I loved each of the siblings and their spouses, from high-strung Tess sneaking in emails during game night to Henry building his mysterious art installation in the barn, and Strong does an impressive job fleshing out the various characters. The novel is narrated in third-person, but Strong has a compelling way of switching perspectives each paragraph so that we’re privy to each of the characters’ innermost thoughts in turn. My heart would break seeing the difference between what a character thinks and what they actually say, all the communication fumbles and missed connections. Ultimately, though, Flight is hopeful, and Strong tells this story with an urgency that makes you want to hold your people tight. Highly recommend.

I’d recommend this book to…

• Anyone searching for an urgent story pulsing with emotion… it’s similar in tone to Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
• Anyone who loves when a story includes Christmas, a snowy East Coast setting, and lots of sibling relationship dynamics… it’s similar in theme to the movie The Family Stone
• Anyone who appreciates clear, elegant, highly observant writing… it’s similar in style to Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout