Author: Ann Napolitano
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Dial Press
Publication Date: January 6, 2020
Book Description: What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them are a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured veteran returning from Afghanistan, a business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. Halfway across the country, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.
Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a part of himself has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery—one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do you find the strength to put one foot in front of the other? How do you learn to feel safe again? How do you find meaning in your life?
Dear Edward is at once a transcendent coming-of-age story, a multidimensional portrait of an unforgettable cast of characters, and a breathtaking illustration of all the ways a broken heart learns to love again
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: Wow, oh wow. If this is an early sign of what to expect in 2020, I am beyond excited. The story that Napolitano created was so amazing and felt so real.
This story is about Edward, a 12 year old boy who is the sole survivor of a major plane crash. What Napolitano weaves is a tale, one of remorse, love, forgiveness and so many elements that you can imagine.
The chapters alternate to the aftermath of this tragic accident. His learning to cope that his family has died, moving in with his very loving aunt and uncle, and his new friendship with Shay, which she becomes essentially his will to live. The other chapters take you back to the fateful flight. You are introduced to many passengers and all their happenings of their lives.
What essentially made this book so wonderful was about 3/4 of the way in to this beautiful story. Edward finds bags of letters his uncle was waiting to share with him. These are from family and friends of the passengers. I won’t lie to you, you will have tears reading these letters. What Edward chooses to do once he finds them is the most amazing part of this book, and ultimately uplifting.
This book will give you all the feels, and you can tell the author took a lot of time, and paid attention to details to make you feel like this could almost be non-fiction at times. This is a hard book to read, but so worth the journey.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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