Much of the novel's power derives from the shifting points of view. No single figure takes control of the book, and hence the reader focuses on the central situation — one feels that this is the story of an event rather than a character. The commentary of the groundlings and those aboard the rescue aircraft add to this focus. Likewise, the flashbacks, as the characters reflect on their lives, derive realistically from the situation and thus provide background while emphasizing the dramatic present.

Gann also concentrates the reader's attention through effective use of the classic dramatic unities of time, place, and action. The entire novel takes place in the fourteen hours of the flight and preflight activity; one remains constantly aware of the time through the flight reports, the passing of the point of no return, Frank Briscoe's chiming watch, and, toward the end, the amount of both...