Reviews

Finding Edward by Sheila Murray

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ceejay63's review

While the writing was good, it was a bit too slow moving for me. By the time the story started to take hold, I had lost interest. I may come back to it at a later date.

amanda_baird's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sayheyfei's review

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dark emotional informative mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Cyril has just moved from his home in Jamaica to Toronto after the death of his mother. Looking to kick-start a better life for himself so he can provide for his siblings back home, he meets a woman named Patricia who ends up changing his whole world. Because of her, she leads him to a suitcase full of photographs and letters from the 1920s written by a woman who struggled to give up her mixed baby. The story intrigues Cyril because it’s similar to his own story. This then leads him down the path of looking for the long-lost baby, Edward. This was such a captivating story that was enriched by Canadian history that is oftentimes forgotten or ignored. This took a look at the country’s history through a different lens and brought it to the forefront. It left the reader really interested and invested in wanting to know more about Canada and the true origins of the land. Even though this was a simple story of a young man trying to find another man, there was so much heart, experiences and past life that made this a truly beautiful read. The way the author let us get to know the two main characters in a slow build up sort of way, it helped to bridge the gap and realize that the two had more in common than meets the eye. The reader liked that we got to see from both perspectives, but what they found a bit confusing was the changing of points of view. It started gradual, from chapter to chapter, but then it started to pick up as we learned more, which was fine, but when it started to change in the middle of chapters, it got confusing and the reader would have to remember who’s point of view it was. Aside from that, this was such a moving and thought provoking story filled with rich characters. They were so real the reader felt like they knew them. Watching both the main character’s stories play out parallel to one another was so fascinating because you got to watch them grow and learn almost together, despite the decades that spanned between them. The ending to this was also really heartwarming because it wasn’t something grand and big or earthshattering, and it didn’t need to be; it was small and gentle, just for those two characters, knowing it was meaningful for them was enough and it was really touching. Overall, this was a poignant novel about resilience, belonging and a sense of being found and it was really well done.

justabean_reads's review

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely gorgeous book in the "contemporary person tries to find clues about thematically linked historical person" genre. In this case, a mixed-race college student from Jamaica trying to discover the fate of a mixed-race kid growing up in the 1920s, and following threads of Black Canadian history along the way. The student is recently orphaned, out of place, and a little distant, trying to find his way in a new and often hostile country. He searches for connection by diving into his research, but also by slowly getting involved in contemporary anti-racism movements. I liked all the different currents of people balancing politics and just getting by, all the different shapes resistance could take, and what the tipping points were.

The prose is beautiful, sliding near to poetry, often funny. It's a bit freer with PoV than a lot of contemporary fiction, with an edge of magical realism that wavers between actually happening and a flight of imagination. I loved the depth of her emotional landscapes and insights, which kept a very political book from ever dragging or feeling preachy. Lovely work!