Dear Edward (Napolitano) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[A] haunting novel that's a masterful study in suspense, grief and survival…. Napolitano's fearless examination of what took place models a way forward for all of us. She takes care not to sensationalize, presenting even the most harrowing scenes in graceful, understated prose, and gives us a powerful book about living a meaningful life during the most difficult of times.
Angie Kim - New York Times Book Review


There’s something brutal about killing a planeload of people and then introducing a handful of them and killing them all over again. But the cruelty of this aspect of the novel’s structure is countered by the astonishing tenderness of other sections.… Napolitano captures the subtle shades of Edward’s spirit like the earliest intimations of dawn… [and] in Napolitano’s gentle handling, it’s persistently lovely.… [Dear Edward is] one of the most touching stories you’re likely to read in the new year.
Ron Charles - Washington Post


Make sure you have tissues handy when you read Ann Napolitano's Dear Edward, a sure-footed tearjerker about the miraculous—but troubled—survival of a 12-year-old boy…. [M]oving…. Dear Edward is in part a tale of survivor guilt, which is fueled by the weight of oppressive, often bizarre expectations on the miracle boy, especially from the families of victims who want him to fulfill their loved ones' dreams and plans.
Heller McAlpin - NPR
 

Exquisite… an insightful and moving testament to the indomitability of the human spirit.
People


A sort of willful tearjerker…. The first chapter, an ode to the mundane routines of air travel, contains real bite and an authenticity the novel loses hold of; subsequent airborne revelations (She’s pregnant! He’s gay!) feel indulgently mawkish. But Edward’s path to finding purpose and connection is realized with an affecting, quiet empathy. You’ll sob to the end.
Entertainment Weekly


The potent prose brings readers close to the complex emotional and psychological fallout after tragedy.… [B]ut by the end, readers will feel a comforting sense of solace. Napolitano’s depiction of the nuances of post-trauma experiences is fearless, compassionate, and insightful.
Publishers Weekly


[P]enetrating…. [W]hat makes this narrative so effective is its alternating between the ordinary events unfolding on the flight and the aftermath of the crash, which keeps the sense of loss and the significance of what has happened fresh in readers' minds. —Barbara Hoffert
Library Journal


(Starred review) With its expert pacing and picture-perfect final page, Dear Edward is a wondrous read. It is a skillful and satisfying examination of not only what it means to survive, but of what it means to truly live.
Booklist


For some readers, Napolitano's premise will be too dark to bear…[with] our inability to protect ourselves or our children from the worst-case scenario….  Well-written and insightful but so heartbreaking that it raises the question of what a reader is looking for in fiction.
Kirkus Reviews