Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles

An irresponsible husband, a drunk, and an unemployable poet and translator, Benjamin R. Ford will never be nominated for a distinguished citizen award.  However, five years sober, he travels to Los Angeles to attend the wedding of the daughter he hasn’t seen since infancy.

But his noble plans are interrupted by an extended layover in Chicago. After eight hours of confinement in O’Hare International Airport, Ford writes a complaint letter to the airline. What begins as a demand for a refund morph into a diatribe of his wretched life. And thus begins Jonathan Miles novel Dear American Airlines.

Ford’s account of his misspent existence is interspersed with hilarious observations on everything from food courts to sex. But underneath the acerbic tone, Ford is warily committed to making amends.

Does 24 hrs in an airport bring redemption? Perhaps. In the end, Benjamin R. Ford tells American Airlines, “You can keep your money after all.”