by Brady Udall
First published 2001
Edgar Mint remembers the day clearly. He was seven years old when the mailman's vehicle crushed his skull. The accident shapes everything that follows for this half-Apache boy who has already lost most of his family. Edgar moves through a brutal boarding school designed for Native American orphans, where survival requires more than luck. A Mormon family takes him in next, but their good intentions cannot fix their chaotic household. Edgar loses the comfortable lies that help most people sleep at night. Yet something in him refuses to break. He holds onto his faith in words and their power to heal. Most importantly, he decides he must track down the mailman who nearly killed him. Edgar wants to offer forgiveness rather than demand revenge. His journey across the American West brings him face to face with people as damaged and hopeful as himself. Edgar discovers that miracles come not from avoiding pain but from choosing how to carry it.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption, resilience
Setting: American West
Period: 20th-century
Paperback · Jonathan Cape
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse