Airstreaming

Airstreaming is set in Kansas City, the epicenter of be-bop jazz, train travel and commerce in mid-century Midwest. The story begins in the early 1970's, and uses the declining 18th and Vine Jazz District, Union Station and West Bottoms stockyards, as its backdrop, as well as the outlying town of Olathe, Kansas. Airstreaming refers to the icon of American travel, the Airstream trailer, which conjures up dreams of escape for many people. The trailer becomes a catalyst for three women whose extraordinary circumstances bind them together. Clare, a newly single working mother overcomes her anger for being left alone after her husband's death. Linda, her daughter, lets go of a father she deeply loved through their shared joy in jazz music, and Martha, a housewife, desperately wants a child to survive the pain of an earlier loss. Jack, a strong and complicated man, whose love for his wife Martha, links the three women, holds on to hope after tragedy strikes by buying an Airstream trailer. His belief that it will change everything blinds him to the reality of his situation. Only Linda ultimately sees the truth, and must confront the other three as each of their worlds change. Ultimately, everyone must choose what to leave behind. Compromise and reconciliation at the novel's conclusion finds Linda buoyed by hope, and a life yet to be lived on the open road in a uniquely American story.