Mid-Air Written by Jennifer Allot

Mid-Air

Mid-Air is a short story written by Jennifer Allot. It’s about a boy named Alex. Alex is on a road trip with his little sister, his dad, the new boy Ben and Paula. Some women that is a colleague of his dad. They are on their road to Robin Hood’s Bay, Alex’ dad used to go a lot to Robin Hood’s Bay, back in the days, when he where a child. Alex’ mom didn’t come with them, because the father and the mother, had some problems between each other.

Characterisation of Alex

The Robin Hood´s Bay is his favourite place in the world. He has been there since he was a boy. Alex tries to be nice to people and it included Rosie. He thinks that being to people was not hard, but you must keep an eye on it. At school he tries to be nice to new boy Ben. Alex compares him with Ben and he thinks that he has a lot in common. Alex likes Ben and loves when he talks about bus routes. Alex thinks it's awesome that he knew everything about disasters.

Alex had perhaps a little understanding why his parents are not together. He believes it is because of his mother ankles got all puffy and she put them up on the pouf in the sitting room.  Alex thinks that it doesn't look so nice but Alex ignores it think about her mother's good thinks. Alex father should do the same and thinks about the good days they had together.

The structure.

The structure of the text isn’t chronology, some time the text just goes back and fourth between the days for example, in the text we read about a flash forward and a flashback: ‘’So we had to decide whether to slam on the breaks or what. And he just accelerated and the bus flew through in the air, over the gap and bang! Down on the other side. The bus was a number 78.’’

‘’When Mom had told Alex and Rosie that dad was not coming back.’’ 1 Page 9, Line 41-44

Here we just read that, Ben that Alex are with is telling him a true story, about bus number 78, flying through the air on the Tower Bridge in London. Then suddenly we are in a lounge with Alex’ mom.

And the end is an open ending, we don’t get to hear so much, it just ends like that. I think it’s because we need to think about how he feels if we where in his situation:’’ He’d thought about it, and he’d begun to think that actually he could imagine, he could imagine what that was like’’ 2

The title.

I think the title Mid-Air is the inspiration from the story about the bus, where the passengers are flying through the air, on a bridge, not just a certain bridge, but bloody Tower Bridge, in London. The passengers that were in that situation would have been terrified, because they can’t do anything than just watch and see what happens, if they fall into the water or if it success and the land on the other end of the bridge. And I think maybe Alex fells the same way. Because his parents are having issues with each other, and it’s just up to them to decide, whether if they go from each other or if they stay together. So he is in the Mid-Air right now, and if the split, he will ‘’fall in the water’’ and if they stay together for the sake of their children or the sake of each other, Alex would not fall into the water, he will land on the other side of the bridge and land. So maybe that’s the meaning off why text is called Mid-Air, or maybe its another reason why the text is called Mid-Air