Dear Edward
One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles. There are 216 passengers aboard: among them a young woman taking a pregnancy test in the airplane toilet; a Wall Street millionaire flirting with the air hostess; an injured soldier returning from Afghanistan; and two beleaguered parents moving across the country with their adolescent sons, bickering over who gets the window seat. When the plane suddenly crashes in a field in Colorado, the younger of these boys, 12-year-old Edward Adler, is the sole survivor.
Dear Edward depicts Edward's life in the crash's aftermath as he struggles to make sense of the meaning of his survival, the strangeness of his sudden fame, and find his place in the world without his family. In his new home with his aunt and uncle, the only solace comes from his friendship with the girl next door, Shay. Together Edward and Shay make a startling discovery: hidden in his uncle's garage are sacks of letters from the relatives of the other passengers, addressed to Edward.
As Edward comes of age against the backdrop of sudden tragedy, he must confront some of life's most profound questions: how do we make the most of the time we are given? And what does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
Edward Adler is the only survivor of a plane crash. After leaving hospital he goes to live with his Aunt and Uncle, his mother's younger sister.
A twelve year old boy on the edge of his teens, already hormonal before having to deal with death of his brother and parents.
His aunt and uncle are also going through the trauma of miscarriages and a strained relationship, are now having to deal with Edward, who chooses not to sleep in the nursery, but next door in the bedroom of Shay, who befriends him from when he first arrives.
The story switches between Edward and how his life moves on in the years after the crash, and what is happening on the flight leading up to the crash. This is one of the times that this does work. It doesn't detract from the story.
A few of the other passengers are described and the reason for this becomes clear later in the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC copy in return for an honest review.