Review: Sky Daddy—Your Next Plane Read

Rating: ★★★★/5

Warning: This review does contain spoilers! If you have the intention to read this book, please proceed reading with caution!

I have never flown before or been in an airport but, the concept of flying is made out to be an adventure of its own. I see so many social media influencers showing off what they wear at the airport, things to to do and avoid at the airport, and viral Karen moments on planes. However, what is it like to be an average person who flies?

Sky Daddy written by Kate Folk photographed in Papercut Books in Wilmington, North Carolina (Samantha Hill).

Sky Daddy, written by Kate Folk, tells the story of an almost 30-year-old woman who does more than just travel—she is searching for her soulmate in the sky. Folk's book has me looking at airplanes from a totally different perspective than I have even known before. The 349 page novel attracts readers in for more than just the odd attraction to airplanes but the relationships between all of the characters.

I recently joined a book club since summer is approaching and I needed to find a way to talk about books without sounding like a total nerd. I attended the first meeting in April and the discussion of May's book of the month started to peak my interest. A small stack of books were passed around in the busy coffee shop and I found Sky Daddy in my hands. After reading the book blurb on the dust cover, I was concerned of what I have gotten myself into but it left a taste of curiosity in my brain, wanting to hear more about this interesting side of Linda. Later, Sky Daddy was announced it was the book choice for the month of May and it was time to read.

A Joyride Read

Folk did a fantastic job at taking flying—which is seen by many as a terrifying experience—and making it into an erotic, lustful experience for Linda. The polar opposite affect of this attraction is what kept me glued to the pages, along with the interaction of the characters. Most importantly, the attraction to this novel is the reader knowing the secret from the start but seeing how the information is unraveled throughout the novel.

Linda's character tells readers about how she is more than just a woman who is destined to be married to a plane but, to see her grow and evolve into a person who I found to be a somewhat of an unbearable character from the start. While I do admire her flat, blunt humor, I grew a lot of sympathy and sometimes even second-hand embarrassment for her. Her development soared higher than any other character in this novel. Her awkwardness, tied with his true ambition her love for planes, made me admire her for accepting of herself. I mean, it takes a lot to spend thousands of dollars to ride the same plane over and over, waiting for it to accept you to be its bride.

Second, Linda's character almost made me forget that she was madly in love with airplanes but, she was trying to build a relationship with Karina, put herself out there to date, working and saving every penny to travel, and most of all, chasing what she loved. Sounds normal, right? THAT is what I loved about Linda. I think Karina loved that about Linda too.

Karina's character is more than just a co-worker who is trying to help a friend out—she is an accepting, supportive, and thoughtful person who simply thinks that her fate is to have the worst happen to her. In addition, Karina's character also had a secret, however; the reader never knew about it until the end. While she was on the "insufferable character who does better" list, her and Linda managed to create a friendship that I feel that everyone desires.

Reading Sky Daddy at Hidden Grounds Coffee in Wilmington, North Carolina (Samantha Hill).

Love Is In The Air

Finding love can be... challenging. Folk writes about the trials and tribulations that one can go through when trying to find love—a deadbeat man working for a lame company or someone lying about their profession to simply get laid. With the unnatural topic of being in love with a N92823, Folk managed to anchor readers in reality with real life topics and scenarios. Linda was on her mission to find a plane to claim to be her soulmate, Karina settling down with a man who she never really wanted to marry, and Dave simply coping from his recent divorce with his ex-wife. All of these characters seemed to be exaggerated to some extent they are all rooted in true scenarios.

"Of course, I'd prefer to skip the middleman, launching myself directly into the aluminum embrace for my soulmate: whichever plane would finally recognize my worth and claim me as his bride in orgasmic catastrophe. But I'd recently turned thirty, and perhaps it was time for compromises," (8).

This book had me turning page after page, trying to read about how odd something could be. There were many highs of this book—writing, dialogue, and living in a fire hazard room with no windows—there were some parts of the book that I felt as if they didn't belong. Specifically the portion about Dave confronting his former friend at the bar. While I see the point of the scene, it felt off with the rest of the flow throughout the novel. And let's be real, we can all agree that Dave's character was insufferable but we were all happy for him in the end.

Speaking of crashing and burning—the ending. I was left closing this book almost feeling teased about the outcomes of Karina and Linda. What do you mean the plane just crashes?! But seriously, I loved the use of fate being used throughout this novel. After studying Shakespeare for a whole semester in graduate school, I really think the fate is in the sky...with the stars, of course.

Summary of Thoughts

Sky Daddy has opened me up to a genre of literature that I am intrigued in—the storytelling techniques of course, not planes. Folk had me questioning at first how she was going to manage to write such a topic but, she showed me that you truly can write about anything as long as there is some kind of story to tell.

While I would never recommend this book to my mother or grandmother, I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a change in literature and simply wanting a "weird" read. This book has allowed me to have a deeper appreciation for books like these and I am on the hunt for more.

If it were up to me, it is fate that is telling you to read this book and maybe...just maybe... think about airplanes a little more differently.

Additional Information

I was searching around to know more about Kate Folk and found this interesting Instagram account that was in Folk's bio. It is literally an account for Linda and her love for airplanes.