Stuart Harrison

The Flyer Stuart Harrison

Set against the background of an English country house, and the skies above France during the First World War, The Flyer is a story of love and loyalty.
When a young aviator crashes in a Northamptonshire field and is pulled from the wreckage by William Reynolds, it is the beginning of a close friendship. Christopher is the son of the Earl of Pitsford, whereas William runs a small garage and though clearly well-educated, his background remains a mystery. After William agrees to help Christopher build a new plane to compete in an air-trial, he is introduced to Elizabeth, and a complex relationship develops between the three young people. As William falls in love, he is plagued by the suspicion that Elizabeth is really in love with Christopher. Since the mystery surrounding William masks a deep seated loneliness and insecurity, it will only take one shattering event to expose the undercurrents of tension and destroy everything that William has tried to believe in.
The second half of the story takes place several years later, during the First World War. William is a pilot in France, but his formative experiences have made him insular and bitter towards the class-ridden hierarchy of the Flying Corps. When he is shot down and crash-lands in enemy territory, he is helped by a young woman. Through Helene, he learns to trust again, and his distant exterior begins to thaw. However, he is unaware that Elizabeth, who hurt him so badly, has trained as a nurse and has come to France to try to find him and make amends for the past. It is Christopher who Elizabeth finds first though, and the complexities of the tangled relationships between these three will become the catalyst that drives the story to its conclusion. Loyalty and love are once again put to the test, but this time the stakes are literally life and death.
The Flyer is a realistic blend of friendship, love and tragedy, set against a carefree summer that precedes the grim reality of the first war in history fought in the air.