Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421

Drowning is Newman’s second novel, and both her books take place on airplanes. How does this shared setting work in each novel? Does it represent the same things in each, or do Newman’s depictions of airplanes and their dangers differ?

The author’s use of a shifting point of view provides many perspectives on the story’s events, but the novel focuses predominantly on Will. Imagine the story as told predominantly from another character’s point of view. How would this perspective illustrate the story’s core themes?

Newman opens the story immediately with the plane engine’s explosion and then provides context and background in a later chapter. What effect does this have? If the story had been told chronologically, what effect might that have had?

Consider the many different ways the survivors of Flight 1421 react in the immediate aftermath of the crash. How does Newman explore different responses to disaster?

Chris clashes with the Navy and Coast Guard regarding their plans for rescuing the passengers of Flight 1421. Are the professional rescuers justified in their resistance to her intervention? Consider Fitz and the rescue team’s point of view in deciding whether or not to let Chris assist in the rescue efforts.

Andy is one of the only characters who is consistently characterized in a negative light over the course of the novel. What role does he play in the narrative, and how does he clash with or illustrate the novel’s themes? Consider how he fits in with the rest of the group.

Compare Drowning to another work of survival fiction like Hatchet, Lord of the Flies, or The Hunger Games. What themes, tropes, and literary strategies do they share? Where do they deviate?

Will consistently points out the similarities between Shannon and Chris. Analyze Shannon’s character and how she is similar or dissimilar to both her parents. Does she change over the course of the novel?