What Is The Plot Of Fly Away?
One of the biggest differences between the Firefly Lane novel and the Netflix adaptation is, of course, that Kate is the one who passes away—not her father, Bud.
Fans of the novel will know that following Kate and Marah's appearance on Tully's Girlfriend Hour segment about mothers and daughters—which turns out to be a segment about how overbearing mothers damage their daughters—both Kate and Tully had a significant falling out. But this is where the book differs from what we saw on-screen. Instead of Bud's tragic fate, the novel sees Kate diagnosed with terminal cancer, causing Tully to drop everything to reconcile with her best friend before she passes away. In the end, Kate does indeed pass, leaving Tully to take care of Johnny and her family after she's gone.
According to Fly Away's synopsis, the second novel's narrative follows Tully who wants to "fulfill her promise to Kate—to be there for Kate’s children, but it’s a promise she has no idea how to carry out. What does brash, lonely, ambitious Tully know about being part of a family?".
What Happens With Tully And Marah in Fly Away?
Fly Away checks in four years after Kate's death and follows Tully, Johnny, Marah and Cloud. Specifically, the book follows the three women—Tully, Marah and Cloud—tracing their journeys, from the past to the present.
Four years after Kate's death, the audience learns much more about Cloud in particular, as well as learning about Tully's life before and after Kate's death while Marah struggles to work through her grief over her mother's death.
As for the plot? The book starts with Tully experiencing a life-threatening accident. She spends most of the book hovering between life and death, which is what brings together Cloud, Tully's mother, and Marah, Tully's goddaughter.
"I just had to know why Dorothy [a.k.a. Cloud] was the kind of person she was and how Tully and Marah would survive without Kate," Kristin Hannah told Book Reporter. "Because I lost my own mother when I was much too young, I know intimately that one person can sometimes hold an entire family together, and the loss of that person is devastating. It can take you years to get back on your feet. That's really the theme of FLY AWAY—how to let go of someone you love and go on."
How Similar Would Fly Away Be To A Potential Second Season Of Firefly Lane?
While Netflix is yet to confirm a second season, fans are expecting the next instalment to also rely heavily on the books' sequel, Fly Away. However, because the streaming giant chose to stray from the first novel's ending, it could render the sequel as useless for show's plans in the writer's room.
And yes, the fact that Netflix is yet to confirm the next season is unsettling, but the change of narrative to keep Kate alive gives us hope that a second season was always on the cards. After all, why would you kill off the main character if you're not hoping for another season?
As for a third novel? Hannah said: "Writing a "sequel" was the hardest thing I've done, and I do not relish the idea of trying it again. That being said, I do wonder what happens to Marah..."
Eager to give Fly Away a read? Take a look at the novel below, while you patiently wait for news from Netflix.
Fly Away by Kristin Hannah, $26.95 at Booktopia.
