Dear Edward

A really lovely heartfelt read. It tells the story of 12-year-old Eddie who is the sole survivor on a plane crash, 191 dead including his parents and 15-year-old brother Jordan. How Eddie becomes ‘Edward’ afterwards and how he adjusts to his new life with his Aunt Lacey and Uncle John.

How would any normal 12-year-old deal with this devastating loss, at the same time as being the centre of attention, known as the boy who lived, a miracle.

What really broke me was the deep sadness Edward had for the loss of his brother Jordan, they fought like brothers do, but they were typical brothers who hated each other one minute and were mates again the next. The loss that Edward feels for Jordan is profound and heart-breaking.

In the beginning we get to meet a few other passengers on board and throughout the book we hear from them on their own lives and what their hopes for the future are (before the crash). They are all leaving someone or something behind and starting anew. As the story develops, we get closer and closer to the moment of the crash and I am glad that we didn’t get an in-depth account of each person’s emotions at the onset of the crash, it was just a brief telling of fear and uncertainty of what was happening.

I loved Edwards thinking that as long as he was alive on the ground, then everyone was still alive up there in the plane, flying above the clouds, even 12-year-old Eddie.

It is a nice thought to have, and it helped Edward cope, I think.

So, a sad heart-breaking read, but uplifting too and I would highly recommend.

Submitted by Stephanie