While reading this book, I had no idea that it was inspired by a real event: a young boy was the lone survivor of a plane crash. The author became obsessed with this event, especially since she has two sons. She needed to find a way to express her grief and perplexment. How was this one boy going to deal with the tragedy - an event that would undoubtedly color the rest of his life.
She does it well. I think I appreciated the book much more when I learned that it was prompted by this true story, and this was her way to deal with the reality of it.
The characters are well developed, and the story moves at a gripping pace. The chapters alternate between what happens on the plane and what happens to Edward as he learns to navigate his new life. This is from the New York Times review:
If the “before” chapters provide the book’s propulsive momentum, the “after” strand provides its psychological insight and resonance. Not only has Edward suffered the trauma of the crash and physical injuries, he’s lost everyone he loves. He enters what his therapist calls a “fugue state” in which he “tries to stay away from thoughts and emotions, as if they’re furniture he can skirt past in a room.” The only one who breaks through is his 12-year-old neighbor, Shay. “No one can hurt you ever again,” she tells him. “You already lost everything, right?”
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