Series: Standalone
Release Date: January 6, 2020
Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place for himself in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a piece of him has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery–one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do find yourself? How do you discover your purpose? What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live?
Dear Edward is at once a transcendent coming-of-age story, a multidimensional portrait of an unforgettable cast of characters, and a breathtaking illustration of all the ways a broken heart learns to love again.
• Latina supporting character and side character
• Asian side character
• MC dealing with the death of his whole family and being the sole survivor of a plane crash (when he’s a child)
• Discusses miscarriages
• Supporting character has cancer
• Grief of losing family
– Also, the grief of not being able to have kids
• Non-descriptive sex
• References to abortion
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5/5 stars
Trigger Warning: This book has frequent HP references. For other triggers, please read the ‘Possible Triggers’ tab above for details.•••
I really didn’t know what to expect from Dear Edward–I had this vague idea of a young boy going to live with his guardian and slowly start to deal with the loss of his parents and older brother. However, the book surprised me that after the plane–in which he loses both his parents and older brother–Edward moves in with his aunt and uncle, who have just given up on having a family of their own. What was so surprising about Dear Edward‘s format was that the book alters between past and present. The Present follows Edward on his life post-crash, from 12-years-old right after the crash to when he’s 18-years-old and leaving for college. The Past details the time spent on the plane leading up to the crash told from the perspectives of Edward’s fellow passengers who did not survive the crash.
Dumb Luck, Special or Plain Magic?
I really appreciated how Dear Edward addressed how children–Edward is 12-years-old–attempt to make sense of being the sole survivor in a plane crash that killed 180+ people. Much of Edward’s Present is him trying to sort through his survival guilt; he and his friend Shay attribute it to magic, possibly being the Chosen One, and as he grows up, he has to grapple with the reality: it was pure dumb luck.
As Edward gets older–once he’s finally sorting through his grief over the loss of his family–he starts to attempt to reconcile the strangers who also died along with his family.
I liked how Edward struggled with the common tropes of being a survivor: surviving family members asking him to live his life for the deceased, asking Edward to take up similar careers and aspirations, and more. Edward’s struggles allow the author to demonstrate the supporting characters’ impacts (besides Edward’s family) from the Past perspective in Edward’s Present.
The Vitality in Friendship
The best part of Dear Edward was the friendship between Edward and Shay. Their relationship is built on the foundation of the quintessential boy/girl-next-door trope. However, the issues they were navigating (Edward surviving what he did, without his family) was not something a 12-year-old girl could really understand.
But, I love how honest they are with each other and how they worked at their friendship, even when it seemed like the other was putting up walls and distance as they grew up.
However, I think the best part was Shay’s remarks about Edward’s representation in the media and why so many kids at their school might be a bit cold towards him: he’s a white boy who lost his family but is being compensated with millions of dollars for that loss, while the people of colour who died on that plane are not getting as much (or any) airtime, let alone the kids who have had their parents taken away from them (by death and prison) with no communal recognition (or monetary compensation).
The author excellently captured the nuances of loss and grief in real life versus, as represented in the media after a tragedy.
Overall, I felt such relief and joy that Edward had someone who he could both rely on and whom he didn’t need to wear his mask: I’ve moved on. Nothing to see here. All better now. Edward and Shay’s friendship made Dear Edward a 5-star read for me–their lessons of acceptance, vulnerability and leaning into each other as they grew felt beautiful.
Learning to Trust and Love Again
While the premise of Dear Edward was Edward surviving a plane crash, the theme of the book is Edward struggling, failing and eventually learning how to truly live and trust and love again after such a traumatic loss.
While only being 12-years-old, Edward is still old enough to have a firm grasp on his parents and older brother: their mannerisms, their familiarity, their love. Edward’s hesitant and even strained relationship with his aunt (his mom’s sister) demonstrates Edward struggling to reconcile his new reality to his dead family. Out of the corner of Edward’s eye, his aunt looks just like his mom. His heart leaps, and his head turns. Only to be confronted with a face that is not his mom’s. He’s betrayed. And feels that loss all over again.
Edward’s struggles with his “new family” are also explored by his aunt’s infertility sub-plot. His aunt’s inability to have children with her husband acts as a foil to their current responsibility: they have to raise Edward not only in her sister’s stead but also while grieving their loss.
I did enjoy how Edward connected with his aunt; he realized both of them had lost beloved siblings.
Finally, I absolutely adored the slowly built relationship between Edward and his uncle. The tentative trust, the promise to be honest and the abiding love. All of their scenes were heartwarming, and most brought me to tears.
In Conclusion
Dear Edward was heartbreaking and moving. I struggled to understand how chapters from the Past told in varying perspectives could add to the story. However, it quickly became evident in the Present that while Edward was the sole survivor of the plane crash, the story was not Edward’s alone.
“We contain the other, hopelessly and forever.”
James Baldwin
And while a significant portion of Dear Edward is spent on Edward navigating his personal grief, the book also illustrates Edward having to reconcile being the sole survivor of over 180 people. And, those people too, had loved ones, and hopes and dreams.
I can understand that the writing might feel a bit distanced for some people, creating a separation between Edward’s emotions and the reader. However, personally, I think the writing style allowed the author to make some meaningful insights. As a result of the narrative, character developments and relationships, I think I cried my way through the whole book. But, even better, I finished Dear Edward with a big grin and happy tears clouding my vision.
Buy Dear Edward
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