This is the story of the planes that arrived in Gander, Newfoundland in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, a story I first learnt from the musical Come From Away. It describes events in a lot more detail than the musical – many more people, stories, places. It’s a more realistic, less airbrushed version of what happened those few days.

One thing I hadn’t really internalised is how short it was – some of the “plane people” were on the ground for maybe 36 hours. In my head I was imagining something closer to a week, a long holiday rather than a (literally) flying visit.

There are some nice moments I hadn’t heard before – the two women who slept in a tent together, the Hugo Boss executive who declined a private jet to be with his fellow passengers, the puppy who was exhausted from all the people trying to keep him company.

It also talks about some of the challenges – like a plane leaving for Frankfurt whose passengers thought they were travelling to New York, being the only Black person in Gander, or the stresses felt by the airline crews who were kept in the town’s hotels. And it tries to acknowledge that Gander isn’t perfect, and the risks of erasing the imperfections under a heartwarming story.

Overall I enjoyed it as a way to get more depth on the musical, and Jim DeFede has written a pleasant, easy-to-read narrative. It reminds me a lot of Rust – I should be less surprised that I enjoy the writing of experienced journalists.

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