Structure

The short story “Mid-Air” by Jennifer Allott is structured using inner monologue, flashback and backstory, following a child character, whose perspective is the central one in the story. The story also has a reverse chronology; it starts in the present and then continues with events from earlier that day or the recent past and then it returns to the present moment, closing a circle.

Usually, when we talk about the way a short story is organised we also refer to its plot or the sequence of moments which it is made of, namely exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. However, this short story is not about the action itself, but about the inner drama of a young boy whose parents have separated. 

Title

The title of the short story first gets us thinking about an action which happens in the air, such as flying a plane or an airship. In fact, after reading Ben’s story, we realise that it refers to an situation which took place in 1954 when a bus was momentarily suspended mid-air over the open Tower Bridge. Going deeper, the title also symbolically tells what the story is about. The narrative explores the feelings of uncertainty a young boy has after his parents split up, which he thinkthe passengers of the bus might have also felt while in mi...