I finally decided to read Dear Edward after vacillating for quite a while about reading it. Did I really want to read a story about an airplane crash that kills 191 people and has only one sole survivor, a 12 year old child? Now that I’ve read it, composed myself and can talk about it, I am very glad I did. It’s 2013 and Flight 2977 is heading from Newark to Los Angeles. It’s filled with a wide range of people including a woman heading across country to the man she loves, a woman escaping from a bad marriage, a man in the Armed Forces and many others including the Adler family. Bruce and Jane Adler and their sons Jordan and Eddie are moving west. This engrossing book is told in dual timelines, before and after the crash. Knowing the fate of the plane, we get to care about each person on the flight and the life they were planning to lead. After the crash, we get to know Eddie (now Edward) who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle. The now famous “Miracle Boy” has wounds to heal that go way beyond the physical ones. The mental trauma he faces is helped not only by therapy and his loved ones but a new, young friend Shay. This friendship is the backbone of the book and a testament to the importance of finding a special connection with someone. Yes, this book is sad and will bring tears for those lost in this story and ones you may have lost. The “what ifs” and “if onlys” we all face in life can be unbearable. But this beautiful book shows the resilience of the human spirit, which keeps us all going after incredible loss. This book will stay with me for a long time. It’s just that good.
Published on January 6, 2020.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Contemporary Literary Fiction.
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