Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Lynnie 

Amy     

contemporary fiction

The story of Dear Edward isn't a secret, it's right there on the book jacket. A young man is the sole survivor of a terrible plane crash in which he lost his parents and brother, as well as 188 other passengers and crew. What unfolds in the pages, however, is both full of melancholy and hope as we watch Edward grow up and learn to exist and live in this new reality.

Lynnie's Review

Told in alternating viewpoints of Edward's story after the crash and the stories of a select few passengers on the flight, the reader is the observer as the third person narrative unfolds. We see what happens to Edward and the other passengers rather than view life from their perspectives. This sometimes has the effect of making the story feel cold and detached but also creates an air of honesty not always available from first-person stories. Still, Ann Napolitano has written a gripping story and one I couldn't turn away from. It's easy to feel Edward's confusion and heartbreak and loss and to cheer for him in each small step forward. A beautiful book to start a new year.

Amy's Review

Edward, a 12 year old, is the only survivor of a commercial airplane crash. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to read this novel. It sounded very depressing. But several friends rated it well so I gave it a read. The book alternated between getting to know many of the passengers on the flight and Edward’s life after the crash. I found myself wishing for less of the passenger background sections and more of Edward’s experiences. I didn’t want to like the passengers who were all about to die so tragically. The more I read, the more I dreaded my upcoming flight next month—the first I will take in 1-1/2 years. I’m quite sure I’ll be thinking about this novel’s plane crash while I’m in the plane.

So, while it was well-written, and I enjoyed watching Edward’s recovery and the love and kindness of those around him, it wasn’t an entirely pleasant reading experience overall for me. I would also like to say that I’m sort of shocked at the activities by others which are the reason for the title of the novel. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll stop there and just add that I can’t imagine doing that.

The audiobook was narrated by Cassandra Campbell.  She did a good job. I wish she’d been a little less “news anchor” and more heart-filled in the sections in which she read as the narrator. But, I do understand why she was directed to do it that way. However, the result was that it felt a bit too distanced. In any case, she had good accents and a decent repertoire of voices so I’ll give her an A-.