Summary

“Flying Lessons” by Soman Chainani begins with Santosh, the 12-year-old narrator and protagonist, sitting in a hotel room in Barcelona, Spain while his grandmother, Nani tries to order Chanel swim trunks for him over the phone. Nani is clearly a dramatic, glamorous woman judging by her fancy jewelry and the fact that she is wearing a fur coat to the beach--Santosh describes her as the “Indian version of Cruella de Vil” (136).

Later that day, the two head to the beach, where Nani leaves him by himself. She tells him she has plans with a friend and that the beach will have plenty of others his age to meet and play with. Santosh is extremely nervous about being alone, but Nani goes anyway. When she leaves, Santosh describes how Nani “never asked if I wanted to go on this trip” but simply showed up...