Edward Adler

Edward Adler is the novel’s most prominent character. In the storyline of the actual place crash, he is a fairly minor character, but in the other storyline, he is the main character. The novel follows Edward’s life for years following the plane crash, as he struggles with his own emotional recovery from the trauma of losing his family. Edward is the sole survivor of the plane crash. He is 12 years old at the time. He becomes the focus of a lot of media attention and public scrutiny, which Edward dislikes. He is adopted by his aunt and uncle, and he goes to live with them in a small town in New Jersey. There, he befriends a girl named Shay, who is the same age as him and who lives next door.

Over the following years, Edward has no friends other than Shay. He attends therapy...