Dear Edward

Title: Dear EdwardAuthor: Ann NapolitanoPublished: 2020Genre: FictionRating: 4 out of 5Date Started: 14 April 2021Date Finished: 17 April 2021

My interest in this book is:

I read reviews on Goodreads as well as on some of the book blogs I follow. The story of a boy who is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed his family made me interested in this book.

Ideas Expressed/Message/Plot:

In the summer of 2013, Edward, a 12 years old boy along with his family is flying to Los Angeles. The plane crashes in Colorado, killing 191 people on board including Edward's mother Jane, father Bruce, and his beloved brother Jordan. After the accident, he is sent to live with his aunt Lacey and uncle John, who is his mother's sister and brother-in-law.

The story is about Edward facing the reality of not having his family around and trying to make peace with the situation are expressed well. He becomes good friends with the neighbor's daughter Shay, who is of the same age as Edward. Edward's story of survival catches the attention of the world, but he tries to find his place in the world without his family.

Favorite Characters:

My favorite character was Shay, Edward's next-door neighbor, and his close friend. She through the entire book connects with Edward and tries to ground him. She is with him when he is feeling low and helps him get out of depression.

When I finished this book, I felt:

I cannot pinpoint what exactly kept me going through the book. The chapter alternated between Edward's current day and the events that happened on the plane on that unfortunate day. I felt that some of the chapters were unnecessary or way longer than they needed to be. The author has made a good effort of bringing the personal lives of all the people on the plane. I could relate to Edward's innocence when he was with his family and how he looked up to his brother Jordan, and also how he feels out of place in his aunt's house.

John hiding the letters to Edward from the relatives of the deceased people is portrayed as he was trying to hide something. John was trying to save Edward with the added stress while he was recovering. Edward makes an effort to connect to his brother's girlfriend Mihira and helps her with her studies. I liked the idea of Edward trying to help relatives of the victims in any way possible. I was happy that the book had a happy ending, and that Lacey and John were together after the turmoil. I had tears rolling down my cheeks a couple of times, but the book was not as emotionally draining as I thought it would be.

Favorite lines from the book:

• Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing? - Pema Chodron

• Numbers are never random. They like patterns and meaning.

• I just don't want to block all the memories out. The fact that they are good means they're powerful. We're building a new foundation here, and if you can't let those memories in, and even, at some point, get pleasure from them, they can be bricks in the foundation. Good, solid bricks.

• The experience of time passing without noticing is called a fugue state!

• First, because Jordan would want to see her. Second, because she is the only living person-other than him-who deeply, specifically, loved his brother. He lost Jordan, and she did too.

• If you live long enough, everything is complicated.

• You could have died; you just didn't. It was dumb luck. Which means, truly, that you can do anything.

• What happened is baked into your bones, Edward. It lives under your skin. It's not going away. It's part of you and will be part of you every moment until you die. What you've been working on, since the first time I met you, is learning to live with that.

• The air between us is not empty space.

A House Without Windows

Title: A House Without WindowsAuthor: Nadia HashimiPublished: 16 August 2016Genre: FictionRating: 4 out of 5Date Started: 29 June 2020Date Finished: 5 July 2020

My interest in this book is:

When I read the synopsis of the book, it intrigued me. Since the story was about a woman who is convicted of killing her husband in a place like Afghanistan where the human rights and the rights of women hold no value, made me pick up this book.

Ideas Expressed/Message/Plot:

Zeba, who is married to Kamal for nearly two decades leads the life of a loving wife and a mother. On an unfortunate day, she is arrested when her husband Kamal is brutally murdered with a hatchet in their backyard, and Zeba is accused of killing him. The children swear that their mother could not do such a heinous crime against their father.

Escaping the anger of Kamal’s family members, she is arrested and jailed in Chil Mahtab. The novel contains the stories of other women prisoners who have been wrongly jailed since a woman’s reports are not taken as evidence. For the women, the jail is both harsh and a safe haven, protecting them from the cruelty outside.

Into this comes the Afghan-born, American-raised lawyer Yusuf, who tries to fight Zeba’s case. Will Yusuf be able to save Zeba from the death sentence?

Favorite Characters:

Of all the characters in the book, my favorite character was Yusuf. He tries to shard to save Zeba knowing that there is more to the story. I liked the way the author writes about his struggles trying to adjust to the culture and environment he spent his early years. Having grown up in America, he compares how the family could have faced a different destiny if they ended up staying in Afghanistan.

When I finished this book, I felt:

It was a long read and an extremely detailed one as well. I felt that the book could have been reduced to half of what it is and still have a strong impact on the reader. There were so many unnecessary characters and substories and the end was twisted and failed to have the same impact as the story!

Favorite lines from the book:

• Children always forgive their mothers. That's the way God's designed them. He gives them two arms, two legs, and a heart that will cry 'mother' until the day it stops beating.

• There's a special kind of hurt in learning that your parents are not the angels or saviors you wish them to be.

• What a burden it is to be born a woman.