Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

It seems that this week’s break from chemo is doing me the world of good. My concentration span is now a tiny bit longer than a gnat’s and it’s meant I’ve been able to throw myself into my reading. I practically inhaled Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, finishing this novel in just two days.

Dear Edward

The novel starts at Newark Airport, where we get to know some of the passengers who are boarding the flight. Amongst those passengers is 12-year-old Edward. A short way into the book we learn that Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash. The other 191 passengers (including his parents and older brother) are now dead. It sounds like a bleak premise for any novel, and I wasn’t sure how I would get on with reading it. Admittedly I did find the opening of the novel a little slow, but then I found I couldn’t put it down.

The novel jumps in alternating chapters, following the hours leading up to the crash and then the novel also follows Edward over the years after the crash. The aftermath of the crash sees Edward now living with his Aunt and Uncle and attempting to come to terms with what has happened to him and why he survived. He’s also famous and people follow him everywhere in the weeks after the crash, trying to take photos of the “The Boy Who Lived”. He also learns that there are thousands of websites about him, conspiracy theories galore and grieving relatives who write to him.  In this swirling storm of grief and confusion Edward must rebuild himself again with what feels like the whole world watching him.

An Emotional Read

We might know that the plane is going to crash, and it does feel very cruel putting us back on the plane, but the chapters set on the plane make for a very tense read. As a reader we start anticipating what it is that causes the plane to crash, homing in on small details and wondering if they are a clue. We also get to know the passengers on the plane, and we grow fond of them. Knowing their fate makes it all the more heart breaking. We can’t help but make emotional connections with all the characters. However, the one our heart breaks for the most is Edward.

We follow Edward as he attempts to navigate this new world he finds himself in. He complains of a clicking sound in his head, he doesn’t want to eat, and he watches soaps with his Aunt. He finds the outside world disorientating and scary. Then he meets Shay, his neighbour, the only one who speaks to him honestly and she gently coaxes him back by offering him friendship and fierce protection. Eventually the clicking in Edward’s head stop and he leaves the soaps for the outside world.

This might sound like a bleak read but it really isn’t. The author is very careful not to sensationalise anything and her prose is also refined and tender. Hope and kindness weave their way through this story. We see how Shay’s friendship helps Edward physical and psychological recovery. We also see how Edward helps Shay. Even when Edward is in the depths of his grief and depression he is aware of the pain of others. He’s acutely aware of his Aunt and Uncle’s grief and unhappiness and we see how over time Edward brings comfort to them, helping unite them again.

Rooting For Edward

This is a touching novel that will have you rooting for Edward as he rebuilds himself and his life again. It’s a novel that will fill you with gratitude. It’s also a reminder that we are never really in control, despite what we like to think. However, this novel reminds us that we can control how we choose to respond to what life throws at us. Perhaps this is just my reading of it because of the situation I find myself in, but I really did find this novel poignant.

 Like Edward, I’m just trying to survive. One day at a time.