English Language and Literature ETDs
Publication Date
Spring 5-16-2026
Abstract
In the novel Aerial View, mysterious algae are contaminating water supplies worldwide. Acute exposure leads to hallucinations, while chronic exposure causes people to retreat from society, eschew help, and cease to understand—or care about—what is real and what is not. It’s in this environment that we follow the character of Chuck, an airline pilot who has spent her adult life fleeing into the skies to escape her tumultuous upbringing. But when the algal blooms impact her father’s health and threaten to shut down the airline industry, Chuck is forced to return to her childhood home in New Mexico, face the trauma she’s been running away from, and find a way to go on in a world on the verge of collapse.
Degree Name
MFA Creative Writing
Level of Degree
Masters
Department Name
English
First Committee Member (Chair)
Andrew Bourelle
Second Committee Member
Daniel Mueller
Third Committee Member
Sarah Townsend
Fourth Committee Member
Megan Jacobs
Fifth Committee Member
David Ryan
Language
English
Keywords
novel, fiction, climate, environment, pilot, algae
Document Type
Dissertation
Recommended Citation
Baldante, Paris. "Aerial View." (2026). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/engl_etds/465