Contemporary fiction
Dear Edward
Early Release
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Quick take
A highly publicized plane crash leaves the survivor to find normalcy again while under the glare of media fascination.
Good to know
Emotional
Nonlinear timeline
Sad
Literary
Synopsis
One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them is a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured vet returning from Afghanistan, a septuagenarian business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. And then, tragically, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.
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?
Free sample
Get an early look from the first pages of Dear Edward.
Dear Edward
1.
June 12, 2013 7:45 A.M.
Newark Airport is shiny from a recent renovation. There are potted plants at each joint of the security line, to keep passengers from realizing how long they’ll have to wait. People prop themselves against walls or sit on suitcases. They all woke up before dawn; they exhale loudly, sputtering with exhaustion.
When the Adler family reaches the front of the line, they load their computers and shoes into trays. Bruce Adler removes his belt, rolls it up, and slots it neatly beside his brown loafers in a gray plastic bin. His sons are messier, throwing sneakers on top of laptops and wallets. Laces hang over the side of their shared tray, and Bruce can’t stop himself from tucking the loose strands inside.
The large rectangular sign beside them reads: All wallets, keys, phones, jewelry, electronic devices, computers, tablets, metal objects, shoes, belts, and food must go into the security bins. All drink and contraband must be thrown away.
Bruce and Jane Adler flank their twelve-year-old son, Eddie, as they approach the screening machine. Their fifteen-year-old son, Jordan, hangs back until his family has gone through.
Jordan says to the officer manning the machine: “I want to opt out.”
The officer gives him a look. “What’d you say?”
The boy shoves his hands in his pockets and says, “I want to opt out of going through the machine.”
The officer yells, apparently to the room at large: “We’ve got a male O-P-T!”
“Jordan,” his father says, from the far side of the tunnel. “What are you doing?”
The boy shrugs. “This is a full-body backscatter, Dad. It’s the most dangerous and least effective screening machine on the market. I’ve read about it and I’m not going through it.”
Why I love it
Jenna Bush Hager
Co-host, TODAY with Hoda & Jenna
I am thrilled to be teaming up with Book of the Month to share my Read with Jenna January pick. To start this year off, I’ve chosen Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. This remarkable story is about a 12-year-old boy named Edward, who miraculously survives a plane crash that takes the lives of all other passengers, including his entire family. After this heartbreaking ordeal, he has to find the resilience to create a new life for himself.
For Edward, something terrible has happened—but he finds the grace to keep going. To me, that is a beautiful message. One element of this story I particularly loved was the relationship between Edward and his brother which reminded me so much of my sister and I. There are so many special relationships in this book that I think any reader will be able to connect with the book in the same way.
There is no better book to start the year, when we’re thinking about new beginnings and what we want for ourselves. Ultimately Dear Edward is a story about how we are all connected and how we can lift each other up. I hope you’ll read with me this month and join in the conversation on our Read with Jenna Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads pages.
Member ratings (12,685)
Laura T.
West Islip, NY
This book had beautiful storytelling, and the emotions that Napolitano captured felt very genuine and raw. ???????????? ????’???? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ????????: Anyone who loves a comeback story.
Tessa L.
South Jordan , UT
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book whose characters and story were as powerful as this one. How does he move on from an insurmountable grief? Edward’s story is a special one I won’t forget
Heather B.
Jefferson City, MO
Friendship, family, loss, and heart-warming connections. Napolitano successfully alternates between the worlds of “Edward” and “Eddie”. Couldn’t put down as the plane ride & characters develop.
Gabrielle C.
Fernandina beach , FL
The timing of this book is perfect, right when you got into the “current day” storyline it would bring you back to the plane and vice versa. The story was riveting and interesting.I loved this book!
Alli M.
Saint Paul, MN
Emotionally gut-punched by this one. I couldn’t put it down and I finished it in two days. A beautiful, raw, and believable portrait of grief, survivor’s guilt, depression, and the search for meaning.