Jun 28, 2017 06:56 PM
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This tale is about a girl who survived,
Lylie is the name with which she thrived,
There is danger lurking at every corner in this quest,
Will the detective put all the ambiguities to rest?
About the Author: Michel Bussi is an extremely popular French author of detective novels. His novel Un Avion Sans Elle(An Airplane without it) was translated into various languages and sold in 26 countries. The English version is called ‘After the Crash’.
Plot:
Detective Grand-Duc is giving up his case of 18 years. He has carefully collected his research, case study papers, inferences and proofs pertaining to this case and sent it to ‘Lylie’ apologizing for his failure. He is planning to give up not only his case but also his life in his extreme frustration. Will that be the end of this hard-working detective?
This mysterious case is one of identity. Lylie, when 3 months old, was the only survivor of a deathly plane crash. However, there were 2 babies of approximately the same age in the ill-fated flight. Their grandparents, mourning the loss of their children, are now hoping to get custody of their grandchild. But whose grandchild is it – One of the obnoxiously rich Carville family or the financially struggling Vitral family? Is it Lyse-Rose or Emilie? The reporters sketch a new name for the baby – Lylie(a mix of Lyse Rose and Emilie).
Reporters are ecstatic to sensationalize this case and put their readers on an emotional roller-coaster. The lawyers present their case with eloquence. All aspects are considered - the blood group test, the observation of eye color, the attire of the child on that day, the appearance as remembered by the grandparents. But none of these inferences strongly ascertain the heredity of the girl.(The DNA testing was not invented then.)
To complicate the case further, there are twists, murders and surprises. This story starts in the year 1980 spanning till 1998 with no vapid or dull moment.
My Opinion:
I recently saw a documentary about the ‘miracle baby’ Cecilia Chian who astonishingly survived an air crash in 1987. No other passenger had survived the disaster. She was 4 years old at the time. By coincidence, I saw this book on the library shelf in the same week and was intrigued to read it.
The concept, narration, flow, and suspense are the strong points of this 432-page novel. The novel is too gripping to pause reading at any point. However, the characters seem lost and unpredictable. All characters, at some point, behave in a shockingly despicable sort of way.
This is one of those novels where the journey till the end is more appealing than the end itself. Awarding 3 stars for this tale of mysterious identity.
