Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop - Softcover

Shaben, Carol

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0307360237 ISBN 13: 9780307360236

Publisher: Vintage Canada, 2013

Synopsis

In the tradition of Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm comes the riveting account of a deadly plane crash in northern Canada and its aftermath. Written by an award-winning journalist who is the daughter of one of the survivors, Into the Abyss is a dramatic true story of survival, and a compassionate account of 4 men's journey from the depths of tragedy to the riches of lives begun anew.

On an icy night in October 1984, a Piper Navajo commuter plane carrying 9 passengers crashed in the remote wilderness of northern Alberta, killing 6 people. 4 survived: the rookie pilot, a prominent politician, a cop and the criminal he was escorting to face charges. As they fought through the night to stay alive, the dividing lines of power, wealth and status were erased and each man was forced to confront the precious and limited nature of his existence. The survivors forged unlikely friendships and through them found strength and courage to rebuild their lives. Into the Abyss is a powerful narrative that combines in-depth reporting with sympathy and grace to explore how a single, tragic event can upset our assumptions and become a catalyst for transformation.

About this title

About the Author:

CAROL SHABEN is the author of Into the Abyss: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop, a national bestseller and winner of the Edna Staebler Creative Non-Fiction Award. She has been nominated for 3 National Magazine Awards, including Best New Magazine Writer, and has won 2 of them, a Gold Medal for Investigative Reporting and a Silver Medal for Politics and Public Interest. A former international trade consultant and CBC writer/broadcaster, Shaben was 22, living and working as a journalist in the Middle East, when the crash occurred. She learned of the event, and her father's survival, reading a local newspaper.

From Booklist:

In October 1984, a commuter plane crashed in northern Alberta. Of the 10 people aboard, there were 4 survivors: the pilot, an RCMP constable, the prisoner he was ­transporting, and the author’s father, the late Larry Shaben, Alberta’s housing minister. Journalist Shaben relies heavily on the memories of the survivors, who formed an improbable bond as they waited, desperately, to be rescued from almost certain death from their injuries and from the freezing temperature. The rescue comes about halfway through the book. The rest of it explores the crash’s aftermath and the lives of the survivors. Paul Archambault’s story is the most interesting. A prisoner with a long rap sheet (car theft, breaking and entering), he became a hero after the crash, saving the RCMP constable’s life and helping to keep his fellow survivors warm and safe until the rescuers came. For him, the crash was a life-changing event, but ultimately his life ended tragically. Although author Shaben’s father was one of the survivors, she divides the limelight among all four of them. --David Pitt

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage Canada
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0307360237
• ISBN 13: 9780307360236
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336