Dear Edward, Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Dear Edward.

How did you enjoy the beginning of the book? Do you feel like it is a story that you are going to enjoy reading, or are you already feeling sad about all of the trauma of Edward's life? I definitely felt sad while reading, but the writing is so good that it made me want to keep reading!

The story shifts back and forth between Edward's time on the plane and his life after the crash. Do you think it's interesting to read about his time on the plane? What do you think about the fact that these chapters allow you to get to know Edward's parents and brother? Do you think that makes his real life chapters more hard to read? What do you think about Edward's aunt and uncle? Don't you think it would be really hard to take in a grieving child when you, in fact, are grieving? 

On the plane, Edward's mother is sitting far away from the rest of the family. Did that make you sad to know that when the plane crashed, she wasn't with everyone else? What are your impressions of Edward's mother? She seems to have a really interesting job. I just felt sad thinking about her knowing that she just wanted to get work done, but because of that, she wasn't with her family at the end. 

Do you like getting to know more about people that were on the plane with Edward and his family? I think it makes the story more sad because now the people on the plane aren't just nameless faces. They are real people who had real lives outside of the airplane. I found myself almost dreading the plane chapters because I didn't want to read more about all of the people that lost their lives. I found it a little easier to read the chapters about Edward's life after the plane, because even though those chapters were sad, there was hope that his life would get better and his grief would become more manageable. 

Aren't you glad that Edward has Shay to help him? She is definitely a no nonsense person, and she doesn't treat him differently. I think it's good for him to have that type of person in his life. What did you think of the fact that Edward wanted to sleep in Shay's room every night? Why do you think that was so comforting to him? Do you think it reminded him of his time sharing a room with his brother? It was sweet that Shay was willing to read to him at night. 

It was interesting to read about the ways people worked to protect and help Edward. His uncle and aunt kept a lot of details about the crash and his impact on the world from him and his principal offered to have Edward help him take care of plants. I can't imagine how hard it was for the people around him to know what to do to help him. It seemed like once he was able to get his own clothes and clothes from Jordan that he was able to feel more comfortable. What else to do you think helped him figure out how to continue his life? 

Were you surprised when Gary, the boyfriend of Linda from the plane, approached Edward? Do you think it would have helped Edward to see other grieving family members? Do you think that would have helped him feel less alone, or do you think it would have overwhelmed him? He definitely got overwhelmed at the hearings. That was too many people to encounter at once. 

What do you think is going to happen in the next section? How is Edward going to continue to heal? Are you anxious to find out what caused the plane crash? Do you want to read more about the time on the plane? 

Before you go, check out the video below in which Ann Napolitano explains how she became an author. 

Thanks for following along this week! I hope you enjoyed the first part of the book. Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought of the first chapters. Make sure to read the second section before coming back next week! I look forward to hearing from you in the comments.