A review by whimsicallymeghan
Finding Edward by Sheila Murray

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.