Book Review: Dear Edward

By Jennifer Mitchell, Bibliolater in Book Reviews, Fiction on February 25, 2020February 20, 2020

Dear Edward

By: Ann Napolitano

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.

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 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?

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.

Review

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bookish Tip: May cause a book hangover.

Dear Edward is one of the most thought-provoking stories I have read in a really long time. The story itself is amazing but what I love most is that when I finished, I was left with three burning questions: (1) What did I just read, (2) How would I act if I was Edward and (3) How would I act if I was one of the family members who lost someone on that plane?

In such a moving tale, Ann Napolitano asks all the hard questions. How does one deal with grief? How does one move on? How does one start to live again?

Told in multiple points of view – before and after the plane crash – the story is less action and more back story. Not only will readers witness Edward’s survival and watch him learn to live again, readers will also get to know a few characters on the plane including Edward’s family, the lead flight attendant, a military vet, and so on.

Dear Edward is so deep and moving, so poignant and powerful that unbeknownst to me, I developed a tiny book hangover. My mind was left reeling with so many thoughts and emotions. My heart simple ached.

Recommendation: Deep and moving. Poignant and powerful. A must read for all.

Want A Copy?

I got my copy of Dear Edward through Book of the Month and you can too! Click on the photo below and receive your first box for just $9.99 using the code HEART.