A man is marooned at O’Hare Airport on the way to his daughter’s wedding, which he will now miss. He begins to compose a letter asking for a refund for his plane ticket—a letter that mutates into a review of his life and its misspent, wasted years. Jim Harrison observes:

Dear American Airlines is a fine novel, a rough and wild ride, at times so excoriating that you put it aside for a more pleasant experience like a trip to the dentist, and at other times so funny you laugh loudly—though the perfect fool of a hero has enough of Everyman to make your laughter a tad uncomfortable. I loved this novel, which is strong medicine indeed.

Not the least reason to commend this novel is the thoughtful review Richard Russo offers up.