Wing-walking as a daredevil activity is the stuff of American dreams. Humans trying to overcome gravity has been a fascinating pastime since the advent of the flying machine. The earliest known instance of someone standing on the wing of a powered aircraft occurred on a biplane in 1911. An Englishman named Samuel Franklin Cody took his two stepsons for a flight, and the boys balanced themselves on the lower wing. In August 1913, Commandant Félix locked the controls of his "Nieuport-Dunne" biplane over France and climbed out along the lower wing. For many years after that, wing-walking and aeronautic acts of daring became an entertainment staple throughout the United States and Europe.

"Flight prevails throughout the book. Whether fleeing from bad times or to good ones, in the air or on the ground, WINGWALKERS provides a perspective on the Great Depression that has not been seen before."

In WINGWALKERS, Taylor Brown combines this historical derring-do with a small episode from the life of Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner to create an intriguing story about the intersection of the magical feats and the realities of the Great Depression.

The novel was inspired by a brief encounter in 1934 between Faulkner and two aerial daredevils, a married couple. These aviator-motorcyclists enchanted the young man, and the three embarked on a raucous drinking/flying extravaganza together. Brown wondered, “Who is this couple?” There was so little information about them aside from their brush with the illustrious man of American letters. Thus he brings us WINGWALKERS.

Della and Zeno Marigold are husband-and-wife barnstormers who travel from town to town during the Great Depression. Della is haunted by the ghosts of her mom, who died without realizing her heart’s goal of becoming a great actor, and her father, who killed himself. She has decided that she will do anything to leave behind the sadness of her Southern Georgia childhood, so she becomes a talented wingwalker. Naming herself “Della the Daring Devilette,” she marries Zeno, who introduces her to a life of adventure and danger.

The two blaze on, ducking the obstacles and difficulties created by the Depression. As they move to California, they become involved with Faulkner as he carries the burdens of making it in Hollywood. All three of these individuals help to unlock the mysteries and yearnings deep within themselves and each other, creating a tale of longing for adventure and truth in a time when just surviving was the biggest dream anyone could have.

With a certain poetry, the intersection of these lives gives WINGWALKERS a texture that goes beyond most historical novels. Brown gives readers the chance to feel as if they are on the wing, flying over a quiet countryside or above great crowds with the applause ringing in their ears, or just traversing the country looking for a new way of living. As someone much wiser than me once said, “Wherever you go, there you are.” Simple, yes, but as this traveling trio tries to find every opportunity to allow fun to run roughshod over their painful realities, the sharp pains of their most unfulfilled dreams carry into their revelries.

All of Brown’s characters, real or imagined, are infused with a sense of purpose, yet they struggle with their confused human emotions. Della has her ghosts, Zeno has his unquenchable thirst for rabblerousing and crazy tricks, and Faulkner has his long-lost love Helen and the hope in his heart that his words can mean something to someone other than himself. As these flawed but compelling characters move through their lives to find each other, readers can see that all of their actions and dreams can become fantastical worlds to explore. The book’s lyricism and down-home verbiage lend the plot some gravitas, like a dark but intriguing trek into the modern psyche.

Brown also takes great care for us to see the beauty in the landscapes these people inhabit. Even though the country, and most of its citizens, is going through unimaginably difficult times, nature is there to provide escape. Whether taking to the air or just enjoying the quiet of a country day, the very land of America is, in and of itself, a character as well.

Flight prevails throughout the book. Whether fleeing from bad times or to good ones, in the air or on the ground, WINGWALKERS provides a perspective on the Great Depression that has not been seen before.