Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421

Analyze the various techniques Newman uses to create suspense and tension throughout the novel. Which of these are common to the genre? Do you notice deviations from typical thrillers?

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?