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The Otter Pup Chloe Happy Wednesday! I hope this finds you well. As soon as I hit the mid-week mark, I feel as if the rest of the week is doable. As you can see, my pup has no issues with any day of the week. She spends it just like this. Snoozing in the sun, staring at me, until I pick my book up for our lunch time reading session.

This week we’ve been walking a little more. I feel best when I am a bit tuckered out from walking and lately, it’s gotten much easier and that may be why I’ve been a little anxious. Adding some distance and possibly a second walk with an audio book.

Tonight my daughter has Senior Recognition Night which is scheduled to be outside on the football field. I’m just glad that she’s getting something. No prom. Grad night is not hosted through the school at all. They sent a link for Universal Studios who is hosting grad night for several of the high schools and offered students a deal if they wanted to go. She will be doing that with a friend next week. Although the tickets sold out before all her friends could buy theirs which is kind of a bummer.

My review for Dear Edward posted yesterday in case you missed it. I am currently about half way through The Invisible Husband of Frick Island which I am liking a lot. My next read is undecided but I am wanting a thriller, I think.

This week has been taken up with TB testing, fingerprinting, a drug test and loads of paperwork for my daughter’s new job as a camp counselor. None of this is done in the same location, of course and the TB test took a little bit of coordinating since it had to be read a couple of days later and she has all these end of the year activities on the calendar. I think we have a handle on it now. She is very excited to have this opportunity. She just loves to work with kids.

My house is needing a little TLC and I am needing to keep my hands busy so I think I will start purging again. The garage is always such a disaster. I may start tomorrow. I do love it when it’s all organized.

Tell me what you are doing this week or if you have any plans for the weekend. I do not know what we are doing this weekend yet.

Dear Edward
By Ann Napolitano
Dial Press Trade Paperback, 9781984854803, Feb 2021, 384pp.

The Short of It:

Young Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash. His story is heartbreaking but hopeful too.

The Rest of It:

I knew a little about Dear Edward before starting it, but I wasn’t sure how Edward’s story would be told without it being too sad or depressing. I learned immediately that Edward was the sole survivor of a crash that killed 191 people including his mother, father, and brother, Jordan. The story is told in alternating chapters that take you from Edward’s current situation, to flashbacks of him on the plane. As the story progresses, those chapters taking place on the plane eventually lead up to the cause of the crash and the reactions of the passengers as it was happening.

This was an interesting way to tell this story. It allowed me to feel the sense of panic that everyone on that plane felt, but it was broken up into palatable pieces that you could digest without too much trouble. The sadness that Edward experiences is gently shared through his inability to sleep in his Aunt and Uncle’s house, his quiet reflection when asked to help one of the school administrator’s with a plant project, his close friendship with the young neighbor next door. His sadness can be felt in all the day-to-day interactions, especially the memories of his brother, Jordan.

So where does the hope come from? Without giving too much away, Edward is put into a position to help others and the way he goes about it, is touching. This was a nice way to move forward and to plan for the future which would be so uncertain to a young boy of 12.

I have seen some mixed reviews for this book. Many saying that they liked it but didn’t love it. I will say this, it holds you at arm’s length. Never going too deep into one part of the story and being very careful not to take you down too dark a path. I wouldn’t say the author chose to play it safe, it’s just how she chose to tell the story. Perhaps some of it was a little too convenient if hard to believe but this is a book where the “in-between” held my attention.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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