Dear Edward
A heartbreaking and heartmending coming-of-age story from the bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
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4.2 • 51 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES
It's not what you've lost . . . it's what you've found.
One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles: there are 192 people aboard. When the plane suddenly crashes, twelve-year-old Edward Adler is the sole survivor.
In the aftermath, Edward struggles to make sense of his grief, sudden fame and find his place in a world without his family. But then Edward and his neighbour Shay make a startling discovery; hidden in his uncle's garage are letters from the relatives of other passengers - all addressed him.
Following the passengers' final hours and Edward's unique coming-of-age, Dear Edward asks one of life's most profound questions:
What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
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'Ann Napolitano's writing is astonishing. I'm in awe' Marian Keyes
'A very moving and emotional read' Anne Tyler
'Gripping and elegiac, this is a captivating novel about loss, love and growing up' Rosamund Lupton
'That rare book that breaks your heart and stitches it back together . . . Don't miss this one' Jodi Picoult
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This book stayed with us long after its final page. Ann Napolitano introduces us to the titular Eddie: a 12-year-old who is the sole survivor of a 2013 plane crash. One day, he and neighbour Shay (their relationship soon becomes the heartbeat of the book), discover hundreds of letters from the families of the victims that his aunt and uncle had been shielding him from. These letters provide a fresh sense of purpose for Eddie and a fascinating insight into the lives of the tragic passengers. Despite the impossibly bleak premise (a warning: there will be tears) Napolitano writes with beautiful colour and a range of emotion which left us truly moved and inspired.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Napolitano (A Good Hard Look) builds a gentle but persistent tension as she navigates the minds of passengers on a plane that is about to crash, and the thoughts of the boy who is the only survivor. Wonderfully detailed characters include Edward Adler, 12 years old at the time of the crash, who lives through the catastrophe, and Shay, who's the same age and lives next to the aunt and uncle who take over for Edward's dead parents. The story moves back and forth before and after the crash, when Edward struggles to physically and emotionally recover. Stories of his fellow passengers are woven throughout: Florida is a Filipina who remembers her past lives; Benjamin is a soldier who has just discovered he's gay; and Veronica is an alluring flight attendant who tallies admiring stares. During Edward's recovery between 2013 and 2019, he remembers some of these people, but in 2016, after finding hundreds of letters addressed to him from the families of the victims, Edward begins to discover his purpose. The potent prose brings readers close to the complex emotional and psychological fallout after tragedy. Edward's intolerable losses and his eventual brave recovery is at first melancholy, but by the end, readers will feel a comforting sense of solace. Napolitano's depiction of the nuances of post-trauma experiences is fearless, compassionate, and insightful.
Customer Reviews
In and Out
I was in and out of this book because at times the details of some characters and their stories took me away and it took me a while to re-centre in the main story. The psychological study is so well calibrated and never soppy. However there is an unusual structure which proves that almost anything can be done.