Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Read if you like: Bel Canto (or anything by Ann Patchett)
Don't read if you get anxiety about traveling/flying - it'll only make it worse!
It's been a while since my last review and I'm happy to be back! I read Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano with my old Pittsburgh book club (we're discussing it via video) - I've really missed these ladies so I'm super excited that we're making it happen virtually!
Dear Edward is a novel about a boy who is the only survivor of a terrible plane crash. Edward is twelve when the accident happens, and has to learn how to move forward with his life after the terrible tragedy. He struggles with the weight of rebuilding his life and coming to terms with having a future when his family and the other passengers do not. The book flashes back and forth between his life and the day of the crash, giving insights into some of the other passengers and what happened to cause the crash, which I thought was a great way to tell the story.
I really like the characters in this book. Young Edward is so sweet and fascinating - I love the way he interprets things around him and his observations of other people. Shay is absolutely wonderful and her bluntness is completely on-point (and of course, I always love a good Harry Potter reference). Lacey and John, Edward's aunt and uncle, are also spot-on in their struggles with figuring out how to raise Edward. I also really enjoyed learning about the other passengers on the plane - overall they were all very well done.
I liked the plot but it definitely wasn't a can't-put-it-down read for me, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars. It took me longer than I expected to finish it and didn't really pull me out of my reading slump the way I was hoping it would. Still, a very solid 4 star book and certainly one I would recommend. I really can't wait to discuss it in book club and would love to hear your thoughts!
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