This is slower-paced, coming-of-age story where the main focus is on Edward's recovery from the crash and the struggle to integrate himself into his new life. A life without his mom, dad and brother. But this wasn't an emotional read for me. Situations that you'd expect to reduce you into a puddle of tears (extreme loss, PTSD, major familial changes, depression, letting go ...) were told in a cold, cerebral way that lacked emotion. For me anyway.
In addition to Edward's story, the book includes POVs and back stories from several of the plane's passengers. But these passengers were a cliched bunch (I particularly found the flight attendant's story line offensive) but mostly I felt indifferent their stories. The inclusion of their POVs, which were scattered throughout, distracted me from focusing on Edward as he tries to acclimate to a life without his family, within a world where everyone seems to know him and many people ask a lot of him.
This is a slow moving story that I kept hoping would finish with a big, emotional moment and live up to its hype. I wanted to see Edward succeed and find his way, but I felt this book didn't have a lot going on and with its lack of emotion I was left feeling unsatisfied with a story that could have been so much more.
My Rating: 3 stars
Author: Ann Napolitano
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Type: Hardcover (351 pages)
Source: Local Public Library
Publisher: Dial Press
First Published: January 6, 2020
Book Description from GoodReads: After losing everything, a young boy discovers there are still reasons for hope in this luminous, life-affirming novel, perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Patchett.
In the face of tragedy, what does it take to find joy?
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 is a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured vet returning from Afghanistan, a septuagenarian business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.
Edward's story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a piece of him 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 find yourself? How do you discover your purpose? What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
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.
In the face of tragedy, what does it take to find joy?
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 is a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured vet returning from Afghanistan, a septuagenarian business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.
Edward's story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a piece of him 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 find yourself? How do you discover your purpose? What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
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.
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