Edward Adler is the protagonist of Dear Edward. Readers follow his journey from depression to stability in the aftermath of a plane crash in which he was the only survivor. These changes coincide with Edward’s adolescence, making Dear Edward a coming-of-age novel in many respects.

Edward is first introduced as Eddie, an introspective 12-year-old boy with curly hair who idolizes his older brother, Jordan. It isn’t until after the crash that he starts to go by the more formal “Edward,” symbolizing the change he experiences in personality. Filled with confusion and survivor’s guilt, Edward suffers from depression in the years following the incident. He distances himself from others and grows increasingly stoic.

Dear Edward jumps in time between the hours leading up to the crash and the years following it. Edward is the only character who plays an active role in both timelines. On the plane, Edward is an observant boy, but he is also naïve. The other passengers who feature in the novel, all of them older than Edward, spend the flight considering their regrets, fears, and uncertain futures. In the chapters that take place in the ensuing years, Edward deals with these same themes as if he has absorbed them from the others.