Edward Adrift

Author: Craig Lancaster

Published: 9 April 2013

What They Say: It’s been a year of upheaval for Edward Stanton, a forty-two-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s lost his job. His trusted therapist has retired. His best friends have moved away. And even his nightly ritual of watching Dragnet reruns has been disrupted. All of this change has left Edward, who lives his life on a rigid schedule, completely flummoxed.

But when his friend Donna calls with news that her son Kyle is in trouble, Edward leaves his comfort zone in Billings, Montana, and drives to visit them in Boise, where he discovers Kyle has morphed from a sweet kid into a sullen adolescent. Inspired by dreams of the past, Edward goes against his routine and decides to drive to a small town in Colorado where he once spent a summer with his father—bringing Kyle along as his road trip companion. The two argue about football and music along the way, and amid their misadventures, they meet an eccentric motel owner who just might be the love of Edward’s sheltered life—if only he can let her.

Endearing and laugh-out-loud funny, Edward Adrift is author Craig Lancaster’s sequel to 600 Hours of Edward.

What Sheli Says: I read 600 Hours of Edward last year and fell a little bit in love with Edward and was itching to know more about his life. I was lucky enough to get this next installment from NetGalley pre-publication.

The long and short of it is that I still love Edward. This book follows him as he embarks on some new adventures following a number of events that wreck his routine and really pull the carpet out from under his feet.

We meet some familiar characters as he goes to visit Donna and Kyle at their new house and tries to help Donna get to the bottom of Kyle's uncharacteristic behaviour. We meet a lot of new characters along the way, and also get to see Edward flourish in new situations and with new people. He continues to grow in character from the first book and it was a pleasure to read.

I think that you would definitely have to read the first book before reading this one as there are a lot of references to the first time we met him, but hey, this one hasn't been published yet, so plenty of time to read 600 Hours of Edward first!

I hope that we get to see more of Edward very soon!

Sheli's Rating: 9/10

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600 Hours of Edward

Author: Craig Lancaster

Published: October 2009

What They Say: Edward Stanton is a 39-year-old with Asperger's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder who tracks his most common waking time (7:38 a.m.), refuses to start his therapy sessions even one minute before the appointed hour (10:00 a.m.), and watches exactly one episode of Dragnet each night (10:00 p.m.). When 9-year-old Kyle and his mother move in across the street, Edward's timetable is upended, and for an exhilarating 600 hours, he opens his door to new neighbors and new problems. The solace of friendship, however, comes with risks ? heartache, uncertainty, and change. Ultimately, Edward must decide whether to remain in his rigid, solitary world or embrace the beautiful vagaries of the heart.

 

What Sheli Says: I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. In the 600 hours we spend with Edward we join him on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, events and see him coming to terms with himself and the actions of other people.

The book is written in a diary format and as you can imagine for someone who has aspergers and severe OCD, can be quite repetitive. I felt that this added to the story and became a real part of Edward’s character.

The book was both funny and heartbreakingly sad in some places and I look forward to reading more about Edward and his adventures.

Sheli's Rating: 9/10

Quotes:

“I tried eHarmony, because I liked the white hair and glasses of that guy on the commercials, and his manner was gentle, but eHarmony told me that the system and it's twenty nine levels of compatibility couldn't find anyone for me.
That hurt my feelings.”

 

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